OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 30 points and the Los Angeles Lakers routed the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 126-99 on Sunday.
Austin Reaves scored 20 points and LeBron James added 19 points and seven assists for the Lakers, who have won four of five.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points and Jalen Williams added 16 for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City remained two games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the race for the league’s best record with five games to play. Instead of closing in on the top seed and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, the Thunder lost consecutive games for just the second time this season.
The teams will meet again Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
The Lakers led 42-32 after one quarter.
Doncic drove to the hoop before firing a two-handed pass behind his head to an open Gabe Vincent, who drained the 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 64-42 lead. The Lakers led 78-56 at halftime after making a franchise record 15 3-pointers in the first half. It was the most points Oklahoma City has given up in any half this season. Doncic led the way with 22 points and hit five 3-pointers, with most being well contested.
Doncic was fouled as he made a circus layup and the free throw pushed the Lakers’ lead to 93-67 in the third. The Lakers led 103-77 at the end of the period.
BULLS 132, HORNETS 117
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Coby White scored 37 points, shooting 6 of 8 from 3-point range, Josh Giddey added 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and Chicago rolled past Charlotte for their third straight win.
Nikola Vucevic contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who entered one game behind the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Mark Williams had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who have lost 10 of 12 games. K.J. Simpson and Jusuf Nurkic each had 18 points.
White continued to have success in Charlotte, a few hours from where he grew up in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and later played college basketball for the Tar Heels. In his last four games against the Hornets at the Spectrum Center, White has averaged 30.5 points.
He finished 12 of 16 from the field and had five assists.
RAPTORS 120, NETS 109
NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Jonathan Mogbo tied his career highs with 17 points and 11 rebounds as Toronto beat Brookyn.
Mogbo also had a season-high seven assists for the Raptors. Ochai Agbaji added 15 points as Toronto snapped a three-game skid. RJ Barrett and AJ Lawson each had 13, Cole Swider and Jamison Battle each had 12 and Jared Rhoden 10. Jamal Shead finished with a career-high 12 assists to go with nine points.
Toronto used its 40th different starting lineup this season.
Reece Beekman led eight Nets in double figures with 14 points and also had five assists and three steals. Keon Johnson added 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Dariq Whitehead, Trendon Watford, Drew Timme and Maxwell Lewis also had 13 points apiece. Tosan Evbuomwan had 12 and Ziaire Williams 11.
Battle had all of his points in the first half, while Mogbo scored 11 in the second half for Toronto.
CELTICS 124, WIZARDS 90
BOSTON (AP) — Luke Kornet scored 13 points and had 14 rebounds, Al Horford had 11 points with 10 boards and Boston ran away from undermanned Washington.
Derrick White added 19 points for Boston, making five of the team’s 24 3-pointers. The Celtics had a season-high 62 rebounds.
Justin Champagnie scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and Alex Sarr scored 16 for the Wizards.
Boston scored the game’s first eight points. The defending NBA champions led by 16 after one quarter, 21 after two and took a 100-64 lead with a minute left in the third quarter.
Of the Boston starters, only Kornet – who was only in the opening lineup because ...
