LOS ANGELES, United States: Luka Doncic and LeBron James combined for 63 points as the Los Angeles Lakers produced a thrilling late fightback to seal a 113-109 overtime victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday.
The red-hot Lakers extended their unbeaten streak to eight games in a pulsating battle at the Crypto.com Arena that saw Doncic finish with 32 points while James poured in 31.
Doncic and James had both been instrumental in dragging the Lakers back into the contest after the Knicks led by 10 points midway through the fourth quarter.
The Knicks meanwhile were left ruing a potential victory that slipped through their fingers despite a majestic performance from Jalen Brunson, who scored a game-high 39 points.
The agony of the Knicks’ defeat was compounded by an injury to Brunson in overtime, with the mercurial point guard limping off the court after rolling his right ankle in a collision with the Lakers’ Austin Reaves.
“Our physicality in the fourth quarter was next level,” an exhausted Doncic said afterwards. “Once we got started, we played basketball.
“They’re a great team with great players and it’s a tough win. We’ve got eight in a row now and every game is a battle for us.”
The Lakers looked to be struggling after trailing for most of the game against a fired-up Knicks, who led by as much as 13 at one stage.
But after struggling for shooting accuracy for most of the contest, the Lakers began making shots in the fourth quarter. James bagged a crucial pair of three-pointers while Gabe Vincent also drained three from outside the arc to spark the comeback.
Vincent finished with 12 points while Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht also chipped in with 11 points off the bench, including three three-pointers.
The Lakers moved to 40-21 with the victory to remain in second place in the Western Conference, 10.5 games adrift of runaway leaders Oklahoma City.
Elsewhere Thursday, Stephen Curry scored 40 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied back from a double-digit deficit for a second straight game to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 121-119 in New York.
Curry – who scored 28 points in the Warriors’ comeback victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday – was in superb form as Golden State climbed out of a 22-point first quarter hole to grab a third consecutive road win.
Curry’s 40-point haul included seven three-pointers from 13 attempts, with the pick being a jaw-dropping heave from near halfway to end the first half.
That highlight reel-worthy moment made it a five-point game at the break as the Warriors roared back to life after being outscored by a whopping 35-15 in the first quarter.
The Warriors found their rhythm in the second period, pouring in 40 points to the Nets’ 25 before going on to complete the comeback after the interval.
Curry was backed by 25 points from Jimmy Butler while Gary Payton II added 16 from the bench.
Cameron Johnson led Brooklyn’s scoring with 26 points.
The Warriors improved to 35-28 and are now sixth in the Western Conference as they chase a return to the postseason after missing out last year.
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics maintained their pursuit of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the Eastern Conference after cruising past an injury-depleted Philadelphia 76ers 123-105.
The Sixers, missing Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, were never in the hunt as the Celtics completed a wire-to-wire victory to improve to 45-18 in the East, 7.5 games back from leaders Cleveland.
Jayson Tatum led the rout for Boston with 35 points, while the in-form Payton Pritchard came up big from the bench with 19 points.
The only down note for the Celtics came in the second quarter when Derrick White was forced to leave the game after losing a tooth in a physical tussle with the Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr.
White left the game but returned in the second half wearing a mouthguard.
Doncic, James lead Lakers fightback as Knicks downed in thriller
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Doncic, James lead Lakers fightback as Knicks downed in thriller
- Red-hot Lakers extend their unbeaten streak to eight games in a pulsating battle at the Crypto.com Arena
- Knicks left ruing a potential victory that slipped through their fingers despite a majestic performance from Jalen Brunson
Al-Ahli hand Al-Nassr first defeat of SPL campaign in Jeddah thriller
- Ronaldo fluffs his lines as league leaders beaten 3-2
- Win strengthens Al-Ahli’s hold on 4th place, just 6 points off top
RIYADH: Al-Ahli beat Al-Nassr 3-2 in a Saudi Pro League thriller in Jeddah on Friday night, handing Cristiano Ronaldo’s charges their first league defeat of the season.
Al-Ahli made a blistering start, needing just 59 seconds to threaten the Al-Nassr goal. Nawaf Al-Aqidi saved Wenderson Galeno’s initial effort before Matheus Goncalves blazed the rebound over the bar.
The hosts remained on the front foot, repeatedly exploiting the space behind right-back Sultan Al-Ghannam. That approach paid dividends in the seventh minute, when Galeno broke into space and squared the ball to Ivan Toney, who finished calmly to open the scoring.
Al-Ahli continued to target the same channel, with Galeno again involved as he laid the ball off to Ali Majrashi, whose effort drifted inches wide of the post.
Majrashi redeemed himself minutes later when a long ball, combined with a clever run from Toney, broke the Al-Nassr offside trap. The English striker confidently finished past Al-Aqidi in the 20th minute for his second goal of the night and his eighth of the league campaign.
By the half-hour mark, Al-Ahli were firmly in control, with Al-Nassr struggling to create any clear chances. That changed in the 30th minute when a bold long-range effort from center back Abdulelah Al-Amri was mishandled by goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi, allowing the visitors to pull one back.
Momentum swung in Al-Nassr’s favor, although Saad Al-Nasser denied Feras Al-Brikan a potential third goal for Al-Ahli with a brave slide tackle on the edge of the six-yard box.
That missed opportunity proved costly, when on the brink of halftime Al-Amri rose highest to head home the equalizer.
Stoppage time brought further drama, as Al-Nassr went close at one end before Al-Ahli launched a swift counterattack and found Toney inside the box. The former Brentford striker struck the post to cap a thrilling first half.
The intensity was maintained in the second half, but it was Al-Ahli who regained the upper hand. A corner delivered to the far post in the 54th minute was met by Toney, who cleverly flicked the ball back into the danger area with his heel for Merih Demiral to score.
Al-Nassr were handed a golden opportunity to equalize just after the hour when Ronaldo found space in front of goal. But the league’s joint top scorer stumbled as he attempted to control the ball and the chance went begging.
Al-Ahli held firm through to the final whistle, although tempers flared deep into stoppage time.
Majrashi was shown a red card following a late scuffle, while Al-Nassr were also reduced to 10 when Nawaf Bu Washl was dismissed for denying Saleh Abou Al-Shamat a clear goalscoring opportunity as the last defender.
Elsewhere in the league, Georginio Wijnaldum inspired Al-Ettifaq to their fifth victory of the season with his second consecutive brace.
The Dutch midfielder opened the scoring in the 54th minute before converting from the spot in the 76th, leading The Commandos to a 2-0 win over Al-Okhdood and lifting them temporarily into seventh place on 19 points.
In the day’s third fixture, Samir Caetano’s stoppage-time equalizer earned Al-Najma their second point of the season in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Al-Khaleej.
The SPL action resumes on Saturday, with Al-Fateh hosting Al-Shabab, followed by Al-Fayha against Al-Kholood and Al-Ittihad versus Al-Taawoun.
