Luka Doncic scored 28 of his career-high 51 points in the first quarter and tied a season best with seven 3-pointers, all made in the opening period, as the host Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 112-105 on Thursday.
Doncic shot 17 of 26 overall, grabbed nine rebounds and dished six assists.
The Mavericks pushed their lead to 17 points midway through the third quarter before Los Angeles got within three in the fourth quarter. A 7-0 Dallas run put the game away.
Five Clippers scored in double figures, led by Marcus Morris Sr.’s 21 points. Norman Powell scored 19 points in his third game since joining the Clippers in a trade with the Portland Blazers, and Reggie Jackson scored 18.
Suns 131, Bucks 107
Deandre Ayton scored 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting while Chris Paul had 17 points and matched his season high of 19 assists to lead Phoenix over visiting Milwaukee in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.
Mikal Bridges added 18 points as the Suns earned a fourth straight win and their 15th in the past 16 games. Paul compiled the 500th double-double of his career.
Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton scored 21 points apiece for Milwaukee, which had a four-game winning streak halted while losing for just the third time in 11 games. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Knicks 116, Warriors 114
Julius Randle capped a 28-point performance when he was awarded a hoop on a goaltending violation with 21.4 seconds remaining as New York held on to beat Golden State in San Francisco.
Randle added a game-high 16 rebounds and a team-high seven assists, and Evan Fournier used five 3-pointers as the foundation for a 22-point night, allowing the Knicks to snap a four-game losing streak.
Stephen Curry had a game-high 35 points for the Warriors, who lost for a second straight night. Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga scored 17 points apiece.
Wizards 113, Nets 112
Raul Neto scored a season-high 21 points as host Washington rallied late in the third quarter and eked out a victory over Brooklyn, which took its 10th consecutive loss.
Kyle Kuzma totaled 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double and Wizards reserve Anthony Gill finished with a career-best 15 points. Washington shot 50.6 percent while winning for just the second time in 10 games.
Nets star Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 31 points but shot 9 of 22. Brooklyn dropped to 2-11 since Kevin Durant sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Jan. 15.
Raptors 139, Rockets 120
Gary Trent Jr. and Pascal Siakam combined for 72 points and Toronto extended its winning streak to eight games with a win at Houston.
Trent scored a season-high 42 points while Siakam added 30 before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Trent finished 6-for-13 on 3-point attempts and had four assists, as did Siakam. Trent also recorded five steals.
Kevin Porter Jr. paced six Rockets in double figures with 30 points and added eight assists. Garrison Mathews scored 19 while Christian Wood posted 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Heat 112, Pelicans 97
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each scored 29 points and Kyle Lowry recorded a triple-double as Miami prevailed at New Orleans for its fourth consecutive win.
Lowry finished with 14 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds and Adebayo added 10 rebounds as the Heat finished 4-2 on a six-game trip.
Jose Alvarado came off the bench to score 17 points for the Pelicans, who saw their four-game winning streak end. CJ McCollum, making his Pelicans debut, contributed 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting.
Grizzlies 132, Pistons 107
Ja Morant had 23 points and six assists, Desmond Bane supplied 22 points and visiting Memphis rolled past slumping Detroit.
The Grizzlies have won four straight and seven of their past eight games. Steven Adams racked up 16 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in a game Memphis never trailed. Brandon Clarke had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Jerami Grant scored 20 points for Detroit, which has lost six straight and 10 of its past 11. Hamidou Diallo and Saddiq Bey each added 17 points.
–Field Level Media
