James, Davis lead Lakers past Celtics

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-96 thumping of the defending champion Boston Celtics on Thursday.

In the first meeting of the season between the two iconic rivals who have won 35 National Basketball Association (NBA) championships between them, the Lakers produced a superb all-round display to outclass the visiting Celtics lineup.

James finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while Davis weighed in with 24 points. Point guard Austin Reaves added 23 points, a haul that included four three-pointers.

Kristaps Porzingis led the Boston scoring with 22 points while Jayson Tatum was restricted to 16 after shooting 5-of-12 from the field.

The Lakers were always in control after outscoring Boston 34-23 in the first quarter and building a 19-point cushion at half-time that they never looked like surrendering.

The Lakers led by as much as 28 points in the fourth quarter, and James looked on approvingly as son Bronny was brought on by head coach J.J. Redick for the closing minutes.

The win improved the Lakers’ season record to 24-18, leaving the Los Angeles club fifth in the Western Conference. Boston remain second in the Eastern Conference on 31-14.

In other games around the NBA on Thursday, Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City suffered only their third home defeat of the season in a 121-115 reverse to the Dallas Mavericks.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who rattled in a career-best 54 points a day earlier, had another solid night with 31 points while teammate Jalen Williams added 33.

But a dogged Dallas performance, with Spencer Dinwiddie scoring 28 points and Kyrie Irving 24, got the visitors over the line.

In Denver, Nikola Jokic romped to his 20th triple-double of the season as the Nuggets overpowered the Sacramento Kings, 132-123.

Serbian star Jokic finished with 35 points, 22 rebounds and 17 assists in a dominant Denver performance.

Jokic also delighted the home crowd with one of the plays of the season, nonchalantly launching an incredible three-pointer from the edge of the Denver arc to make it 110-85 at the end of the third quarter.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Jokic’s remarkable season was the best of his career, eclipsing the 2021, 2022 and 2024 campaigns when he was named NBA Most Valuable Player.

“This is the best season he’s ever had and that’s saying something,” Malone said of Jokic.

“And he’s not satisfied.”

In Milwaukee, the Bucks extended their winning streak to five games with a 125-96 rout of the Miami Heat, who were playing without the newly suspended Jimmy Butler.

Damian Lillard led the Bucks scorers with 29 points, including five three-pointers, while Giannis Antetokounmpo bagged 25 points. Gary Trent Jr. chipped in with 21 off the bench.

The Bucks improved to 25-17 with the win and remain fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Earlier Thursday, French star Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant homecoming before a Parisian crowd as the San Antonio Spurs routed the Indiana Pacers 140-110.

The 21-year-old 7-foot-3 center scored 30 points after taking control in a dominant third-quarter performance where the Spurs roared into a 23-point lead.

Wembanyama was playing in the French league a year and a half ago before his selection as the number one pick in the 2023 NBA draft set him on the path to global stardom.

“That was one of the matches that was closest to my heart,” Wembanyama said.

“And in terms of pure performance, it’s in the top five.”

“It means everything. It’s crazy to have the public like that. Tonight was different. It’s a different kind of support that the crowd brings and we tried to use the circumstances to our advantage and tonight was an easy night to use it to our advantage.”