Luka Doncic scored 33 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated his former Mavericks side 116-110 Saturday, in another triumphant return to Dallas for the Slovenian superstar.<\/p>\n
Doncic — who earned cheers as he stepped onto the Texas court where he was beloved by fans for seven successful years — also grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 11 assists.<\/p>\n
It was Doncic’s second return to his former Mavericks home since he was traded away in a hugely controversial February 2025 deal, and he is now 4-0 in all meetings against his former team.<\/p>\n
The latest win snapped the Mavericks’ season-best streak of four straight victories — form that contrasts with the Lakers, who had lost six of their previous nine outings.<\/p>\n
Doncic said the Dallas stadium is “always a special place for me,” joking that at half-time he had begun “going to the other tunnel… I was kind of confused.”<\/p>\n
The game opened with veteran superstar LeBron James scoring at one end and 2025 draft first overall pick Cooper Flagg — 22 years his junior – responding immediately at the other.<\/p>\n
Early in the game, Doncic became the youngest player in NBA history to score his 1,500th career three-pointer.<\/p>\n
The Lakers led 65-52 at half-time, and threatened to pull clear with a 13-point gap, before Dallas scored 16 without reply.<\/p>\n
The game swung wildly as the Mavericks extended a 15-point lead in fourth quarter, before yet another Lakers surge.<\/p>\n
James closed the lead to nine with a steal, a sprint up-court and thumping slam dunk, and a Rui Hachimura three-pointer put the Lakers back in front with just over two minutes remaining.<\/p>\n
– Knicks edge 76ers –<\/p>\n
Elsewhere on Saturday, the New York Knicks edged a contentious clash with the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109, as Jalen Brunson poured in 31 points to help get his team’s season back on track.<\/p>\n
The Knicks will hope they have turned a corner with back-to-back wins, after a 54-point blowout victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday ended a slump that saw them drop nine of 12 games.<\/p>\n
New York clung to a three-point lead in the final 10 seconds as the Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey missed a three-pointer under pressure before OG Anunoby stole the ball from Joel Embiid.<\/p>\n
On both occasions, Philadelphia’s claims of an intentional foul were rejected by officials.<\/p>\n
“Composure… we don’t make it easy on ourselves, but I liked the way we fought,” said Brunson, when asked how his team survived the tense final moments.<\/p>\n
“Obviously we had a slump and worked our way through it. It happened, and now we just got to keep on climbing.”<\/p>\n
Sixers center Embiid — the game’s top scorer with 38 points, 11 rebounds and five assists — told reporters that both he and Maxey had been “fouled for sure.”<\/p>\n
Cameroonian-American star Embiid was dominant in the first half, scoring 28 points to hand the 76ers a 64-60 halftime lead.<\/p>\n
But the Knicks surged back, outscoring the Sixers 30-13 in a third quarter in which Embiid was denied a single point.<\/p>\n
The Knicks built a 17-point advantage, before 11 points without reply for Philadelphia in the fourth quarter set up a tense finish.<\/p>\n
– Game postponed –<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors’ visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves was suspended until Sunday, after federal immigration agents shot dead a man in Minneapolis, sparking fresh protests.<\/p>\n
“The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community,” said an NBA statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Wizards-Hornets game began earlier than originally scheduled due to a massive winter storm sweeping across the United States.<\/p>\n
The game in Charlotte ended in a 119-115 victory for the hosts.<\/p>\n
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