By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Los Angeles Lakers, fueled by 40 points from Anthony Davis and 31 from LeBron James, pulled off another NBA thriller on Thursday, Feb. 29, beating the Washington Wizards 134-131 in overtime.
One day after James reeled off 34 points — 19 of them in the fourth quarter — to key a come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers had to dig deep again against a Wizards team tied for the worst record in the league.
James’s four points in overtime included a three-pointer that tied it at 131-131. He fed Davis for a dunk and capped the scoring with a free-throw.
James, already the league’s all-time scoring leader, is now nine points away from becoming the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 in the regular season.
Jordan Poole scored a season-high 34 points and Marvin Bagley III added a 23 for Washington, who dropped their 13th straight.
But Lakers coach Darvin Ham said the young, hungry Wizards were a tough opponent — especially on the heels of Wednesday’s draining victory.
“They put pressure, they’re a tough team to play coming off a back-to-back, really high emotional game from last night,” Ham said. “But we found a way, we found a way to win.
“Our guys pulled together when we needed to and made the plays when we needed to.”
In Denver, star big man Nikola Jokic missed out on a fifth straight triple-double but Michael Porter Jr’s 30 points fueled the Nuggets in a 103-97 victory over the Miami Heat in an NBA Finals rematch.
Porter added 11 rebounds, helping fill the void after Jamal Murray departed in the second quarter with a sprained ankle.
Jokic finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as the Nuggets fended off Miami’s fourth-quarter rally.
Bam Adebayo scored 22 points and Butler added 21 for the Heat, who were without injured Tyler Herro, Kevin Love and Josh Richardson and saw their five-game winning streak end.
Curry shines
A trip to Madison Square Garden was just what Golden State star Stephen Curry needed to break out of his scoring doldrums.
Curry scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Warriors to a 110-99 victory over the New York Knicks, bouncing back from a scoreless first half in the Warriors’ win over the Wizards on Tuesday.
Curry said he fed off the energy at Madison Square Garden — an arena steeped in NBA history and where he broke the record for career three-pointers in 2021.
“It didn’t hurt that in the Garden I had a good vibe and a good flow going,” Curry said. “It’s always fun. This is a special place.”
Jonathan Kuminga added 25 points for Golden State, who grabbed a quick 14-0 lead and never trailed.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 points to lead the Knicks, who had the deficit down to four midway through the fourth quarter but with key contributors Julius Randle and OG Anunoby sidelined could never gain the upper hand.
Another sparkling effort from rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama helped the San Antonio Spurs snap a five-game losing streak with a 132-118 victory over Western Conference contenders Oklahoma City.
French star Wembanyama scored 28 points with 13 rebounds and five blocked shots.
The fourth quarter featured four lead changes, but with three-and-a-half minutes remaining Wembanyama produced a pair of three-pointers and a big block of a three-point attempt by Oklahoma City’s rookie of the year contender Chet Holmgren, and the Spurs pulled away for the win.
“We’re just playing with heart,” Wembanyama said.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Jalen Williams added 26 and Holmgren contributed 23 for the Thunder, who slipped a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for top spot in the Western Conference.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for Milwaukee in the Bucks’ 111-99 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte.
Malik Beasley made five three-pointers on the way to 19 points for the Bucks, who pushed their winning streak to four games and completed a season sweep of the Hornets.
