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The Lakers dropped their fourth game in the last five on Wednesday night as De’Aaron Fox scored 31 points to help the Sacramento Kings win 116-111 for their fifth straight win.
Harrison Barnes added 20 points and Kevin Huerter had 18 to help the Kings (25-18) move into third place in the Western Conference.
LeBron James led Los Angeles with 32 points and moved to 38,104 career points, 283 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA’s all-time scoring lead, while Russell Westbrook added 19.
LeBron James and Co. suffered their fourth loss in five games against the Kings on Wednesday
De’Aaron Fox scored 31 points to help the Sacramento Kings beat the Lakers 116-111
Kings center Domantas Sabonis missed the game due to illness. Coach Mike Brown said before the game that it was a stomach issue that had been plaguing the team.
Richaun Harris started in place of Sabonis and had a season-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers got off to a good start, leading by 16 points in the first quarter and holding a 39-28 lead late in the first period. The Kings attacked the defense in the second quarter and took a 61-60 halftime lead.
The Kings turned the defense around in the second and pulled out a 61-60 halftime lead.
Sacramento increased its lead to 14 points in the third quarter and led 90-82 heading into the fourth period. The Kings led 108-103 with 2:34 remaining, but a three-point play by James put the Lakers even at 108-108 with 1:01 remaining.
The Kings responded with a three-point play by Barnes with 50.0 seconds remaining, got a defensive stop on the other end and a free throw by Fox with 12.3 seconds remaining for a 112-108 lead. The Kings sealed it with four free throws in the final 5.0 seconds.
FALCONS 130, MAVERICKS 122
Dejounte Murray scored 30 points, Trae Young had 18 points and 12 assists in another matchup with Luka Doncic and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-122 on Wednesday night.
John Collins added 19 points as the Hawks won their season-high fourth straight game to surpass .500 (23-22) for the first time since Dec. 27.
Doncic scored 30 points but fell to 4-3 in head-to-head meetings with Young since they were traded in the top five on draft night in 2018. Doncic placed third overall and Young fifth.
Murray and Collins combined to go 7-for-11 from 3-point range as the Hawks shot 57 percent from deep and 50 percent overall on a sizzling shooting night for both teams. Dallas was 52 percent overall.
Christian Wood had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks.
Dejounte Murray (5) celebrates with guard Trae Young during the game against the Mavericks
GRIZZLIES 115, GENTLEMEN 114
Desmond Bane scored 25 points, Ja Morant had 24 and Memphis won its 11th straight game to match the franchise record, passing Cleveland.
Steven Adams targeted the winner with 16 seconds remaining. Adams was in position to deflect a miss from Morant, and Dillon Brooks preserved the win by blocking Garland’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 24 points, Caris LeVert had 23 and Evan Mobley added 18 points and 15 rebounds. Cleveland played without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell because of a left groin strain.
Desmond Bane (22) of the Grizzlies reacts after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers
THUNDER 126, PACEMAKER 106
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Joe each scored 23 points as Oklahoma edged past Indiana for its fourth straight victory.
Joe, a backup, tied a career high with seven 3-pointers made in just 22 minutes.
Lu Dort had a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Kenrich Williams added a career-high 12 points and 10 assists for the Thunder.
Andrew Nembhard scored 18 points for Indiana. The Pacers have lost five in a row.
Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives around Pacers Andrew Nembhard
WIZARDS 116, KNICKS 105
Kyle Kuzma scored 27 points, Bradley Beal had 18 in his return from a five-game absence and Washington never trailed New York.
Kuzma also had 13 rebounds and seven assists. Beal shot 7-for-11 after being sidelined with a strained left hamstring. The Wizards went 1-4 without him.
Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for Washington against his former team.
Jalen Brunson scored 32 points for New York.
Washington’s Kyle Kuzma (33) shoots a 3-point basket past Knicks forward RJ Barrett
HORNETS 122, ROCKETS 117
Terry Rozier scored 26 points and Charlotte held off Houston to snap a five-game skid Wednesday night after LaMelo Ball injured his left ankle again.
The Hornets, who have the worst record in the Eastern Conference, picked up their first win since Jan. 6 over the ill-fated Rockets. Houston, which has the worst record in the NBA and hasn’t won since Dec. 26, has lost a season-high 12 in a row.
Jalen Green tied a career high with 41 points to lead the Rockets.
LaMelo Ball (1) is helped off the court after injuring himself against the Houston Rockets
JAZZ 126, CLIPPERS 103
Lauri Markkanen had 34 points and 12 rebounds to help Utah beat Los Angeles.
Markkanen returned after missing two games with a bruised hip. He made six 3-pointers and had his 11th game with at least 30 points this season.
The Jazz led through and through and by as many as 25 points over the weary Clippers, in the second game of a straight set, without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Norman Powell led Los Angeles with 30 points.
Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends against Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen
HEAT 124, PELICANS 98
Bam Adebayo scored 26 points and Miami led comfortably from the first quarter against New Orleans.
Jimmy Butler added 18 points and Gabe Vincent hit four 3-pointers as part of a 16-point night for the Heat. They were never behind and led for all but the first two minutes en route to their fourth win in five games.
CJ McCollum scored 21 points for the Pelicans. They’ve lost seven of 10 playing much of that stretch without star power forward Zion Williamson.
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) goes for the basket in the second half against the Pelicans
Nuggets 122, TIMBER WOLVES 118
Jamal Murray hit a go-ahead floater with 55.9 seconds remaining, Nikola Jokic broke Denver’s assist record en route to his 14th triple-double of the season, and the Nuggets rallied for a 122-118 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Wednesday night. .
Murray scored seven of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to help the Nuggets win their 15th straight home game.
Jokic finished with 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds while navigating foul trouble. The reigning two-time NBA MVP passed Alex English for the most assists in team history. Jokic has 3,686 career assists for him in 568 games: English posted 3,679 in 837 games in a Denver uniform
Nikola Jokic shoots the ball under pressure from D’Angelo Russell and center Luka Garza