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Highlights of Thursday's NBA games

[December 15, 2017] (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of National Basketball Association games on Thursday:

Cavaliers 121, Lakers 112

LeBron James tied Larry Bird for sixth all time in triple-doubles and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-112.

James' 59th triple double in 15 seasons consisted of 25 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Kevin Love led all scorers with 28 points, while Jose Calderon added a season-high 17 points.

Lonzo Ball, the Lakers rookie playing in his first game against James, finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Brandon Ingram paced the Lakers with 26 points.

The Cavs scored 100 points for the 22nd consecutive game. James dunked with 2:20 left and nailed a 6-footer with 1:38 remaining for a 117-108 lead. Lakers rookie Josh Hart scored a career-high 11 in his first pro start.

Warriors 112, Mavericks 97

Klay Thompson buried three consecutive 3-pointers during a fourth-quarter flurry that finally allowed Golden State to pull away from Dallas for its season-high eighth straight victory.

The Mavericks led by as many as eight points in the first half and were still within 80-73 at the end of the third quarter before the defending champs took charge.

Kevin Durant's 36 points were tops for Golden State, which beat the Mavericks for the eighth straight time overall and 10th in a row at home. Durant also had 11 rebounds and seven assists.7 points and 11 rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 points and Harrison Barnes had 16 for Dallas, which had held its previous 10 opponents to an average of 97.8 points.

Timberwolves 119, Kings 96

Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points, 14 rebounds and a season-high five blocks as Minnesota coasted past Sacramento.

Andrew Wiggins followed up a rough shooting night two nights earlier to score 22 points for the Wolves on 9-of-17 shooting. Jimmy Butler chipped in 21 for Minnesota, which has won three of its last four games.

Towns scored 27 of his 30 points in the first three quarters. George Hill scored 16 points while Zach Randolph had 15 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento.

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Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) shoots the basketball against Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Mavericks 112-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Pistons 105, Hawks 91

Detroit used a near triple-double by Andre Drummond and some improved 3-point shooting to snap its seven-game losing streak.

Drummond had 19 rebounds to go with 12 points and nine assists, and the Pistons made 13 of 30 shots from behind the arc in their victory over Atlanta. Tobias Harris had 19 points for the Pistons, Avery Bradley scored 18 and Langston Galloway contributed 17 off the bench, making 5 of 8 3-point attempts.

Ersan Ilyasova led the Hawks with 23 points, 12 of them coming in the first quarter. He made 10 of 14 shots.

Knicks 111, Nets 104

Courtney Lee scored a season-high 27 points as New York lost Kristaps Porzingis to a left knee injury and blew an 18-point lead before pulling out the victory over Brooklyn.

The Knicks won their third straight on a night when Porzingis exited in the third quarter with a sore left knee. Porzingis scored 13 points before departing with 9:25 remaining in the third.

Lee led the Knicks by shooting 9 of 17 and came within three points of his career high set March 8, 2010. Michael Beasley, who replaced Porzingis, added 15 points, while Enes Kanter contributed 13 and nine rebounds.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored a career-high 26 points and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added a career-best 25 for Brooklyn, but the Nets gave up 24 points on 17 turnovers.

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