Luka Doncic scored 60 points — the most ever recorded against the Heat — as the Los Angeles Lakers won their eighth straight game, defeating host Miami 134-126 on Thursday night.
The Lakers also got a triple-double from LeBron James, who had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. It was just James’ second triple-double of the season. Doncic, who entered the day leading the NBA with a 32.9 scoring average, made 18 of 30 shots from the floor, 9 of 17 on 3-pointers and 15 of 19 at the free throw line.
Bam Adebayo led Miami with 28 points and 10 rebounds. He appeared fully healthy after having missed the team’s previous game due to tightness in his right calf. However, the Heat are just 1-3 since Adebayo scored 83 points against Washington on March 10, the second-greatest scoring game in NBA history.
James Harden had the previous record against Miami with 58 points. He reached that mark while a member of the Houston Rockets on Feb. 28, 2019.
Spurs 101, Suns 100
Victor Wembanyama hit the game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds left, capping a 34-point, 12-rebound outing as San Antonio edged visiting Phoenix.
The Suns led by seven points at halftime, by six heading into the final period and by 10 when Khaman Maluach threw down a thunderous dunk off a Devin Booker assist with 4:50 to play. That seemed to wake up San Antonio, which responded with an 8-0 run.
After Phoenix’s Rasheer Fleming missed two free throws with 11.1 seconds to play, Wembanyama took an inbounds pass and held the ball before moving to his right and hitting a contested 17-foot jumper over Ighodaro for the victory.
Hornets 130, Magic 111
Coby White had 27 points off the bench, Brandon Miller poured in 25 points and LaMelo Ball had 20 points as host Charlotte rolled on offense again in a victory against Orlando.
It was a masterful offensive performance for the Hornets, who racked up 22 3-pointers and went 24-for-27 from the free-throw line. Kon Knueppel had 17 points, Ryan Kalkbrenner provided 13 and Miles Bridges posted 11 for Charlotte, which won for the fourth time in its last five games.
The Magic received 24 points from Desmond Bane and 20 from Paolo Banchero, but they made just 33.3% (14-for-42) of their 3-point tries. Jamal Cain added 15 points and Jevon Carter had 11, with Orlando’s reserves playing a good chunk of the second half as the Magic’s deficit reached 35.
Pistons 117, Wizards 95
Jalen Duren collected 24 points and 11 rebounds and Paul Reed added 17 points off the bench, fueling Detroit over host Washington.
Detroit, which reached the 50-win plateau for the first time since 2007-08, held a 66-26 advantage in points in the paint and a 56-35 edge in rebounds. Duncan Robinson highlighted his 14-point performance with four 3-pointers, while Caris LeVert and Kevin Huerter also scored 14 points.
Tristan Vukcevic scored 21 points off the bench and rookie Will Riley added 15 points for the Wizards, who have lost 14 in a row since sweeping Indiana in a two-game set on Feb. 19-20.
Cavaliers 115, Bulls 110
James Harden knocked down seven 3-pointers on his way to 36 points, Evan Mobley added 26 points as Cleveland held off a furious second-half rally to beat host Chicago.
Mobley shot 12 of 19 from the floor (63.1%) and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. He was one of two Cavaliers to record a double-double, with Jaylon Tyson adding 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Tre Jones led the Bulls with 20 points, Nick Richards scored 16 and Josh Giddey dished a career-high 19 assists. Rob Dillingham led the Chicago bench unit with 17 points, as they outscored the Cavs’ bench, 43-22.
Jazz 128, Bucks 96
Rookie Ace Bailey scored a season-best 33 points and matched his high of seven 3-pointers to lead Utah to a convincing victory over Milwaukee at Salt Lake City.
Elijah Harkless produced career bests of 23 points and 10 assists and Cody Williams also had 23 points as the Jazz broke a four-game losing streak. The win was just the third in the past 15 games for Utah.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out his second straight game due to a hyperextended left knee as the Bucks lost for the 10th time in their past 12 games. Ryan Rollins scored 15 points and Cam Thomas added 14 off the bench.
76ers 139, Kings 118
VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes and Justin Edwards combined for 97 points, Andre Drummond came off the bench to produce a double-double and visiting Philadelphia thumped Sacramento.
Edgecombe, taking over leadership of the team in the absence of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, paced the win with 38 points, the top total of his rookie season. Edwards put up a career-high 32 and Grimes went for 27, propelling the 76ers (38-32) to a third win in the past four games. Edgecombe also found time for a game-high 11 assists while Drummond had 13 points, a team-high 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud missed his season best by two points on a 30-point night. Daeqwon Plowden had 20 points, DeMar DeRozan 13, Precious Achiuwa 12, and Russell Westbrook and Doug McDermott 11 apiece for the Kings (18-53), who lost their second in a row.
