By ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 42 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers blew most of a 26-point lead before hanging on to beat the Golden State Warriors, 120-112, on Thursday night, Feb. 6.
Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Gabe Vincent hit five 3-pointers for the Lakers, who have won four straight and 10 of 12. Los Angeles also won its second straight with Luka Doncic watching from the bench.
Stephen Curry scored 37 points for the Warriors, but James came out on top in their latest duel.
James scored 18 points in the second quarter while the Lakers surged ahead, but Golden State began a 32-12 rally right before halftime. Curry scored 22 points in the second half.
Curry went 13 of 35 from the field and hit six 3-pointers. His 20 3-point attempts matched the fifth-most in his career.
He trimmed LA’s lead to 109-104 with 3:40 to play, but James hit his sixth 3-pointer with 1:08 left.
Jimmy Butler joined the Warriors in Los Angeles shortly after the NBA approved the trade sending him from Miami to Golden State for a package headlined by Andrew Wiggins.
Doncic got a massive ovation when introduced before the game. He is expected make his debut Monday.
New Lakers center Mark Williams hasn’t arrived.
Meanwhile in Denver, Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 24th triple-double of the season, Michael Porter Jr. added 30 points and the Nuggets won their fifth in a row by beating the Orlando Magic, 112-90.
Christian Braun finished with 16 points for a Nuggets team that saw the trade deadline come and go without making a move. The Nuggets had the game so well in hand that Jokic didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Porter turned in another electric offensive performance by hitting 11 of 16 shots, including five 3-pointers. It’s his third straight game with 30 or more points.
Wendell Carter Jr. led the Magic with 19 points, and Paolo Banchero added 18. Orlando was outscored 33-17 in the third quarter.
Both teams played the night before. The Nuggets routed New Orleans 144-119 at home while the Magic beat Sacramento 130-111.
In Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards had 41 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to beat the Houston Rockets, 127-114.
One night after scoring 49 points in a win over Chicago, Edwards dominated the game early and late. He scored 18 points in the first quarter and 16 in the fourth, which began with Houston leading by six.
In Boston, Klay Thompson scored 25 points, Daniel Gafford gave the Mavericks 15 rebounds in what could be his last start at center for a while and Dallas beat the Celtics, 127-120, in their NBA Finals rematch.
With recently acquired big man Anthony Davis out with an abdominal strain and cheering on his new teammates from the bench, the Mavericks led by 27 points in the second half. Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points off the bench.
In Portland, Anfernee Simons had 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, and the Trail Blazers won their sixth straight game with a 108-102 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Shaedon Sharpe added 24 points for the Blazers, who have won 10 of their last 11. DeMar DeRozan had 22 for the Kings, who have lost six of their last eight.
