Luka Doncic delivered a Herculean performance on Thursday night, hitting two miraculous 3-pointers in the dying seconds of regulation and the first overtime, to finish with an awe-inspiring 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists as the Dallas Mavericks pulled off a 119-115 double-overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic highlighted his 56th career triple-double with that pair of clutch 3-pointers, while Christian Wood added 24 points and 14 rebounds in the Mavs’ fourth straight win over the Lakers. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 22 points and eight rebounds for Dallas, and Spencer Dinwiddie scored twice in a late 6-0 run to put it away in double OT.
Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 28 points and LeBron James had 24 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, who have lost two straight after a five-game winning streak. Los Angeles rallied all the way back from a 19-point regulation deficit and got to the brink of an unlikely win, but could not match Doncic’s dramatic flair.
Celtics 109, Nets 98
Jayson Tatum had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Boston pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Brooklyn in the Nets’ first game since losing Kevin Durant to a knee injury.
Marcus Smart added 16 points and 10 assists for the Celtics, who played without Jaylen Brown owing to an injury. Malcolm Brogdon also scored 16 points as the NBA-leading Celtics won their fifth straight.
Brown had right adductor tightness, a night after scoring a season-high 41 points in a victory over New Orleans. Interim coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown could miss a week or more. Derrick White, starting for Brown, scored 15 points.
Kyrie Irving scored 24 points for the Nets, who were right with the Celtics until getting outscored 12-2 to open the fourth. T.J Warren added 20 and Joe Harris, starting for Durant, had 18.
Heat 108, Bucks 102
Gabe Vincent scored a career-best 28 points, Bam Adebayo had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Miami beat Milwaukee in a matchup of short-handed teams.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who got 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists from Victor Oladipo. Max Strus had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Miami (23-20), which moved a season-best three games over 500, even with starters Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin sidelined.
Jrue Holiday had 24 points and 11 assists for the Bucks, who were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, Serge Ibaka and Joe Ingles. Jevon Carter scored 18, Jordan Nwora had 16, AJ Green scored 15 and Bobby Portis had 12 for the Bucks.
Cavaliers 119, Trail Blazers 113
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Ricky Rubio had nine points in 10 minutes in his first game since a knee injury more than a year ago, and Cleveland rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Portland, who led by as many as 14 points early in the game.
Damian Lillard had a season-high 50 points, but it was not enough for the Blazers, who lost their fifth straight.
Jarrett Allen added 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers’ fifth win in their last seven games.
The 32-year-old Rubio tore his left anterior cruciate while driving to the basket at New Orleans on Dec. 28, 2021. He averaged 13.1 points and 6.6 assists in 34 games last season before getting hurt.
Raptors 124, Hornets 114
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points, Scottie Barnes added 21 and Toronto beat Charlotte for its first three-game winning streak of the season.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 points and O.G. Anunoby had 15 as the Raptors swept a pair of home games against the struggling Hornets. Toronto led by as many as 18 points and never trailed. The Raptors have won five straight home games against Charlotte. Fred VanVleet scored 11 points and Precious Achiuwa had 10 points and a career-best five steals.
LaMelo Ball scored 32 points before fouling out, and Terry Rozier had 21 points as Charlotte lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Thunder 133, 76ers 114
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and Josh Giddey had 20 to lead Oklahoma City past Philadelphia.
The Thunder won for the fourth time in six games. Oklahoma City was a solid 13-9 at home, but won just their sixth road game of the season.
Jaylin Williams and Tre Mann each scored 14 points as Oklahoma City avenged a 19-point loss to the 76ers on Dec. 31.
Joel Embiid had 30 points and 10 rebounds. James Harden had 24 points and 15 assists.