All eyes were arguably on Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday as the Slovenian superstar took on his former team for the first time. But there were also six other NBA games on tap, and one of them featured another team—the Golden State Warriors—that made a huge trade a couple of weeks ago. We’ll recap both games plus the game of the day here:
Lakers Survive Mavs Behind Luka Doncic’s Triple-Double
Luka Doncic and LeBron James connived to power the Los Angeles Lakers (35-21) to a 107-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks (31-28) at crypto.com Arena.
Doncic, playing for the first time against the Mavs, torched the team that drafted him with a 19-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple-double—his first for the Lakers. He also had 3 steals and 2 blocks. James, meanwhile, had 27 points and 12 boards for the Purple and Gold, who looked primed for a blowout in Luka’s revenge game when they built a 16-point lead in the second quarter.
But the Mavs crept back in the game led by Kyrie Irving, who fired a game-high 35 points on 5-for-11 shooting from downtown. Klay Thompson added 22 markers and made three straight treys at one point in the fourth to help Dallas tie the game. The game was still tied at 91 with 5:10 remaining when the Lakers went on a 16-8 finishing kick to secure the win.
Up next:
Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves on February 28
Mavs vs. Charlotte Hornets on February 28
Warriors Rout Hornets as Bench Score 69
The Golden State Warriors (31-27) are now 7-1 since the arrival of Jimmy Butler after notching a 128-92 victory over the Charlotte Hornets (14-43) at Chase Center.
Steph Curry and Draymond Green each had 16 points and 6 dimes for the Warriors, who also got 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists from Butler. But the stars of the show were the Dubs’ bench, who fired 69 total points led by the 16 of Buddy Hield. Gary Payton II and Kevin Knox II added 14 and 12, respectively, to help the Warriors get their 3,000th victory overall.
KJ Simpson scored 16 points for the Hornets, who played minus star guard LaMelo Ball. Seth Curry added 14 off the bench.
Up next:
Warriors vs. Orlando Magic on February 28
Hornets vs. Mavs on February 28
Grizzlies Outlast Suns in OT Thriller
Ja Morant fired 29 points and dished off 8 assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies (38-20) pull out a thrilling 151-148 triumph against the Phoenix Suns (27-31) in overtime at the FedEx Forum.
Morant singlehanded sent the game to OT, scoring Memphis’ final 11 points in regulation, including the floater that tied the game at 137. Morant also dished off his final two dimes—both to Jaylin Williams—in the Grizzlies’ 9-2 windup to seal the game. Wells had 19 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Desmond Bane chipped in 25 points and 9 assists.
Devin Booker had 28 points and 10 assists and was one of five Suns to score at least 20. Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Bol Bol added 26, 24, and 23, respectively, while Grayson Allen put up 21 off the bench.
Up next:
Grizzlies vs. New York Knicks on March 1
Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans on February 28
