Doncic, James connive as Lakers win streak hits seven

NEW YORK (AFP) — Luka Doncic scored 40 points and LeBron James added 30 on Wednesday to spark the Los Angeles Lakers over Houston 124-116, stretching their National Basketball Association (NBA) win streak to seven games.

Doncic, the league’s leading scorer, added 10 assists and nine rebounds while 41-year-old James hit 13-of-14 shots from the floor for the visiting Lakers.

“He pulled it out with big shots, big time,” James said, heaping praise on Slovenian Doncic.

“He has been doing it all year for us and he has been in great rhythm since the season started and we just try to pick him up.”

James, the all-time NBA scoring leader, delivered a masterful performance.

“I didn’t feel that great when I woke up or even when I got to the arena. I was pretty tired from the last game,” James said.

“But once the competitive juices get going, we got it flowing and we just tried to make a few plays.”

The Lakers (44-25), third in the Western Conference, took the season series tie-breaker over Houston (41-27).

Doncic and James each scored 18 points in the first half as the Lakers led 67-55 at halftime.

James made four first-half dunks, his most since 2020, and went 8-for-8 from the floor to match his most baskets without a missed shot in any half since March 2011.

But the Rockets rallied in the third quarter as Kevin Durant, who had only two first-half points, scored 13 in the third and Houston led 92-89 entering the fourth.

Doncic sandwiched three-pointers around lobs for dunks to James and Rui Hachimura for a 120-111 lead and Houston could not rally.

At Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Jayson Tatum added 24 points and a game-high 10 rebounds as the Celtics (46-23) ripped visiting Golden State 120-99.

Brown shot 8-of-9 from the floor to score 19 points in the first quarter while Tatum had 16 in the first half, his best half since returning two weeks ago from a 10-month ruptured Achilles tendon absence.

Brown passed Dave Cowens for 10th on the all-time Celtics scoring list.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points to extend his NBA record streak of 20-point games as the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder cruised 121-92 at Brooklyn.

Jared McCain added 26 points off the bench for the Thunder, whose 10th consecutive victory boosted the NBA’s best record to 55-15.

The Nets fell to 17-52 with a fifth straight loss.

Oklahoma City led 60-24 at halftime, the Nets matching a club record for fewest points in a first half from the 1997-98 season.

The Atlanta Hawks (38-31) stretched their win streak to 11 games with a 135-120 triumph at Dallas.

C.J. McCollum scored 24 points and Jalen Johnson added 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

Deni Avdija had 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead Portland’s 127-119 victory at Indiana, the NBA-worst Pacers (15-55) losing their 15th consecutive game.

Ty Jerome scored 21 points and Memphis snapped an eight-game losing skid with a 125-118 home victory over Denver.

With star Anthony Edwards out due to a sore right knee, Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 12 rebounds in host Minnesota’s 147-111 rout of Utah.