The Los Angeles Lakers absorbed an early blow and responded with grit.
After Luka Doncic exited with a sore left hamstring late in the first half, the Lakers regrouped and stormed back in the second half Thursday night, pulling away for a 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers and snapping Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak.
Austin Reaves powered the comeback.
Playing his second game off the bench after missing 19 games with a calf injury, Reaves scored 13 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to give Los Angeles its first lead of the night.
“Losing Luka, you know nothing’s going to be easy,” Reaves said. “But we bonded together.”
Reaves finished 12 of 17 from the field with five 3-pointers and six rebounds in just 25 minutes, thriving despite a minutes restriction.
LeBron James added 17 points and 10 assists as the Lakers improved to 31-19, staying firmly in the Western Conference playoff mix despite ongoing injury setbacks.
Joel Embiid poured in 35 points for Philadelphia, while Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and 13 assists, but the Sixers could not protect a lead that stretched to 16 early in the third quarter.
Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.4 points per game, left the floor with 3:03 remaining in the first half after grabbing the back of his left thigh. He did not return, and coach JJ Redick said the Slovenian star will undergo an MRI on Friday.
“He didn’t feel like it was good enough to go back in,” Redick said. “Neither did the medical staff. It’s too early to diagnose, just a sore hamstring.”
Doncic finished with 10 points, four rebounds and five turnovers, missing all four of his three-point attempts. He left the arena with a slight limp.
The injury is the latest setback for a Lakers core that has rarely been intact. James, Reaves and Doncic had played together just 10 times this season. James missed the opening 14 games with sciatica, while Reaves returned only last week after a lengthy layoff.
Still, Los Angeles refused to fold. After Philadelphia opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run, the Lakers tightened defensively and leaned on Reaves’ shot-making down the stretch.
“We didn’t break,” Reaves said. “We kept playing hard, and good things happened.”
Doncic had been on a dominant run entering the game, earning Western Conference player of the month honors in January and a sixth All-Star selection as a starter for next weekend’s showcase at Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Wizards 126, Pistons 117:
Short-handed Washington upset Eastern Conference leader Detroit behind 20 points from Will Riley and 18 from Sharife Cooper. The Wizards hit 18 three-pointers, while Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 30 points.
Hornets 109, Rockets 99:
Rookie Kon Knueppel scored 24 points as Charlotte won its eighth straight. LaMelo Ball added 20 points.
Spurs 135, Mavericks 123:
Victor Wembanyama stuffed the stat sheet with 29 points, 11 rebounds and five three-pointers. Dallas rookies Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall each scored 32 in the loss.
Warriors 101, Suns 97:
Pat Spencer posted a career-high 20 points as Golden State rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit despite Stephen Curry sitting out with a sore knee.
