Mavs, Spurs Fall Short on the Road

Randle, Davis push Pelicans past Mavericks 132-106

By BRETT MARTEL

NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ Julius Randle had 27 points and 18 rebounds and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-106 on Wednesday night.

Anthony Davis had 27 points, a career-high nine assists and five blocks despite twisting his ankle and briefly leaving the court for treatment after stepping on Dorian Finney-Smith’s foot.

Jrue Holiday had 17 points and four steals for New Orleans, which largely controlled the contest while winning for just the third time in nine games.

Harrison Barnes had 16 points and Wesley Matthews 15 for the Mavericks, who came in having won five of six but had trouble with the Pelicans’ up-tempo pace while playing one night after beating Portland at home.

J.J. Barea scored 14 points, and Dwight Powell added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas, which also was short-handed as usual starting guard Dennis Smith Jr. sat out with a sprained right wrist.

E’Twaun Moore scored 17 points in a reserve role, and New Orleans never trailed after his 20-foot jumper put the Pelicans up 32-31 at the end of the first quarter.

Running the floor relentlessly, and effectively after many of the Mavs’ 18 turnovers, the Pelicans scored 60 points in the paint and 29 on fast breaks.

New Orleans led by 16 at halftime, by as many as 25 in the third quarter and 29 in the fourth.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: As Powell dunked early in the fourth quarter, he was poked in eye by Davis. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle received a technical foul for shouting at officials about the play and Holiday made the technical foul shot. … Finney-Smith had 12 points and Jalen Brunson had 11 points. … The Mavs shot 42.9 percent (39-of-91) and missed 32 of 46 3-point attempts.

Pelicans: F Nikola Mirotic, New Orleans’ third-leading scorer, missed his second straight game with an illness. Randle started in his place. … The
Pelicans shot 55.4 percent (51-of-92) overall and an even better 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from 3-point range. … Darius Miller made four of his six 3-point shots for all of his 12 points off the bench while Moore made three of four. Davis made both of his shots from deep and Randle made two of three. … Holiday, who has struggled with turnovers at times, finished with eight assists and only one turnover.

UP NEXT

Mavericks: Host Houston on Saturday night.

Pelicans: Host Memphis on Friday night.

 

LeBron scores 42 as Lakers surge past Spurs late, 121-113

By GREG BEACHAM

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ LeBron James scored 20 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter and Josh Hart hit two clutch 3-pointers in the final minutes of the Los Angeles Lakers’ fourth straight victory, 121-113 over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Kyle Kuzma had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who lost Brandon Ingram to a sprained left ankle in the first quarter. Los Angeles still beat the Spurs for the first time in three tries this season, but only after James dramatically took control of another fourth quarter during his third 40-point game since joining the Lakers.

DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Rudy Gay had a season-high 31 before fouling out for the Spurs in the first of back-to-back games in three days to wrap up the season series between these longtime West rivals. They’ll meet again in San Antonio on Friday night.

San Antonio held an eight-point lead in the fourth before James started a rally by scoring nine consecutive points. James hit an extra-long 3-pointer moments later, but the Spurs surged back ahead again.

Hart hit a tying 3 with 3:04 left, followed by a go-ahead 3 from James on the next possession. Hart and James hit consecutive clutch 3-pointers moments later, and James added a layup with 41 seconds left.

James scored all 20 of his fourth-quarter points in the final 91/2 minutes, going 7 of 8 from the field with three 3-pointers. He also had six assists and five rebounds.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs.

Gay poured in 16 points during the third quarter of his highest-scoring performance for the Spurs and a personal best for the injury-plagued scorer since Jan. 5, 2016. But he had just one basket in the final 101/2 minutes before fouling out with 27 seconds left.

San Antonio made a 24-10 run out of halftime to take its biggest lead at 69-60, with Gay scoring 16 points in the third quarter and DeRozan adding 12.

TIP-INS

Spurs: Longtime Lakers big man Pau Gasol didn’t get to play against his old team. He is out with a stress fracture in his left foot.

Lakers: Ingram had played at least 25 minutes in every game since he returned from a four-game suspension for fighting in Los Angeles’ home opener.

INGRAM OUT

Ingram left midway through the opening quarter after getting hurt while Aldridge committed a flagrant foul against him. The Lakers’ third-leading scorer had X-rays that came back negative, but the team decided to rest him for the night. Ingram scored five points before leaving. The former No. 2 overall draft pick has been a key component of the Lakers’ starting lineup around James, providing length on the perimeter and improving his drives to the hoop.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Host the Lakers on Friday.

Lakers: Visit the Spurs on Friday.

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