Luka Doncic left the Dallas Mavericks’ game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night with a sprained left ankle and did not return to the game, though his team ended up winning 99-95.Â
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic left the game against the Suns after three minutes due to injury
Doncic played just three minutes before limping to the locker room during a timeout. The 23-year-old, who was voted an All-Star for the fourth straight season earlier Thursday, came into the game averaging 33.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists.
Doncic was trying to make a move close to the basket against Phoenix’s Cam Johnson, but stepped on Mikal Bridges’ foot before passing the ball and limping away. He grabbed at his lower left leg before Dallas coach Jason Kidd called for a timeout.
The Suns and Mavericks both had a 25-24 record coming into the game. Spencer Dinwiddie ended up with a season-high 36 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 18 points and 12 rebounds in the Mavericks win.
Dinwiddie shot 10-of-18 from the field, including five-of-six on three-pointers. He also made 11 free throws.Â
The Mavericks snapped a six-game losing streak against the Suns in the regular season, though they beat Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals in seven games in last year’s playoffs.
Phoenix had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Spencer Dinwiddie carried Dallas to a prestigious 99-95 win with a season-high 36 points
KNICKS 120, CELTICS 117
Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave the New York Knicks the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson added 29 points, seven assists and a game-ending blocked shot for New York, which has won two straight. Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown had a chance to put the Celtics ahead with 7.6 seconds remaining, but misfired on two free throws, forcing the Celtics to foul.
Jayson Tatum, who was voted an All-Star game starter for the third consecutive season prior to tip-off, finished with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Brown added 22 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which has lost three straight for just the second time this season.
Julius Randle nearly had a double-double with 37 points and nine rebounds against the Celtics
PISTONS 130, NETS 122Â
Saddiq Bey scored 25 points and Detroit won in Brooklyn for the first time in nearly five years.Â
Alec Burks added 20 for the Pistons, who snapped a four-game losing streak and were playing for the first time since giving up 150 points in a loss to Milwaukee on Monday.
They took advantage of a short-handed Nets team playing the second night of a back-to-back to win at Barclays Center for the first time since April 1, 2018, ending a six-game skid. They had lost seven in a row overall to the Nets.
Kyrie Irving scored 40 points for the Nets, tying his career high and the Nets NBA record with five straight games of 30 or more. Nic Claxton added a career-best 27 and Edmond Sumner had 24.Â
Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving dropped 40 points despite a first home loss against Detroit in five years
CAVALIERS 113, ROCKETS 95Â
Darius Garland scored 26 points and Evan Mobley added 21 as Cleveland routed short-handed Houston despite missing Donovan Mitchell.
Garland, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft who turned 23 on Thursday, also had nine assists and four rebounds for the Cavs.
Mitchell sat out for the fourth time in five games with a groin strain. He returned Tuesday night after missing three games, but aggravated it near the end of that game to keep him out Thursday. Mitchell, who ranks ninth in the NBA by averaging 28.3 points a game, was voted a starter in next month’s NBA All-Star Game.
Tari Eason had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Houston. The Rockets were without Eric Gordon, Jae’Sean Tate and Kevin Porter Jr. as they lost their second straight since snapping a 13-game skid Monday night.
Darius Garland scored 26 points against the Rockets, who’ve won once in their last 15 games
BULLS 96, HORNETS 111
Terry Rozier scored 28 points, Mason Plumlee added 21 points and 12 rebounds and Charlotte defeated Chicago.
Gordon Hayward added 17 points, and LaMelo Ball returned from a three-game absence due to a sprained ankle and wrist injury and chipped in with 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to overcome a horrible 2-for-15 shooting performance from the field.
DeMar DeRozan had 28 points for the Bulls, while Zach LaVine finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, but was quiet in the second half. Patrick Williams had 15 points, but Chicago’s three-game win streak came to an end.
Terry Rozier scored 28 points to beat the Chicago Bulls. Demar DeRozan had 28 for Chicago
SPURS 100, CLIPPERS 138
Paul George scored 35 points and Kawhi Leonard added 27 in just three quarters of play as the Los Angeles Clippers swamped the visiting San Antonio Spurs 138-100 on Thursday to win their fourth straight game.
The contest was the second of the road back-to-back for the Spurs (although both games were in Los Angeles), and they were worse for the wear, trailing 78-57 at halftime. The 78 points were a season high for a half for the Clippers.
The Clippers pushed their lead to 30 points midway through the third quarter before a 10-0 run by the Spurs allowed them to finish the period down just 23 points. George surprisingly played in the fourth period and helped Los Angeles extend its lead to 32 points before going to the bench at the 7:09 mark.
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Norman Powell added 15 points for Los Angeles, with Robert Covington scoring 13 and Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac contributing 12 and 11 points. The Clippers swept the four-game season series with San Antonio.
Keldon Johnson hit for 19 points for the Spurs, Isaiah Roby had a career-high 14, Keita Bates-Diop scored 13, Doug McDermott added 11 and Jakob Poeltl tallied 10.
Paul George scored 35 points as the Los Angeles Clippers swamped the visiting Spurs
