NBA roundup: Mavs defeat Lakers, spoil return of Anthony Davis

[April 23, 2021]  Luka Doncic finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 115-110 victory at against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

The Mavericks prevailed despite losing Kristaps Porzingis with 2:32 left in the third quarter when he sprained his left ankle. Porzingis finished with 19 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Lakers, who have lost three of their past four games, with 29 points. Dennis Schroder finished with 25 points and 13 assists before fouling out with 18.3 seconds remaining in the game.

Lakers star Anthony Davis was back in action for the first time since Feb. 14, returning from a calf strain and tendinosis in his right leg. He played only 17 minutes, all in the first half, and scored four points on 2-for-10 shooting.

Bucks 124, 76ers 117

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points, 16 rebounds and six assists to lift host Milwaukee past Philadelphia.

Khris Middleton added 24 points, Bobby Portis had 23 and Brook Lopez 16 for the Bucks, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Jrue Holiday added 12 points and 11 assists.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 24 points. Shake Milton added 20 and Tobias Harris had 18 in his first game back after missing the previous three with knee soreness. Ben Simmons (illness) and Furkan Korkmaz (ankle) sat out as the Sixers dropped their third game in a row.

Celtics 99, Suns 86

Kemba Walker matched his season high with 32 points to lead banged-up Boston past visiting Phoenix.

Walker shot 11 of 17 from the field for the Celtics, who won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. Jayson Tatum had 15 points and 11 rebounds on 3-for-17 shooting as he continues to nurse a left ankle injury. Boston played without Jaylen Brown (shoulder), Evan Fournier (health and safety) and Robert Williams III (knee).

Chris Paul had 22 points with eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Suns, who lost for just the third time in their last 16 games. Devin Booker had 15 points before fouling out. Phoenix shot just 6 of 35 (17.1 percent) from 3-point range.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso (4) go for the ball during the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Pelicans 135, Magic 100

Brandon Ingram scored 29 points, Zion Williamson added 23 and visiting New Orleans raced to a 22-point halftime lead and routed Orlando.

Ingram made 11 of 17 field-goal attempts and Williamson sank 9 of 12 as the Pelicans ended a four-game losing streak. Willy Hernangomez had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Eric Bledsoe added 15 points for New Orleans, making 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

Mo Bamba had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Devin Cannady scored 17 and Cole Anthony had 14 points for the Magic, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games.

Spurs 106, Pistons 91

Derrick White scored 26 points, 11 of them in the pivotal third quarter, to help San Antonio defeat visiting Detroit in a battle of short-handed squads.

Lonnie Walker IV contributed 18 points for the Spurs, who have won three of their past four games. Jakob Poeltl added 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Spurs rested Dejounte Murray and Patty Mills, and they announced just prior to tipoff that DeMar DeRozan, their leading scorer on the season, would sit due to a right quad contusion.

The Pistons' Josh Jackson led all scorers with 29 points. Frank Jackson racked up 14 and Killian Hayes tallied 12 for Detroit, which has lost three of its past four.

Bulls 108, Hornets 91

Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Thaddeus Young all scored 18 points as Chicago thumped visiting Charlotte.

Lauri Markkanen recorded 11 points and Tomas Satoransky provided 10 points for Chicago, which led by double figures for most of the game. The Bulls won for the third time in their past four games.

Devonte' Graham had 16 points and Miles Bridges added 13 points for the Hornets, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.

--Field Level Media