James back with 23pts but Celtics rout Lakers

LOS ANGELES • Los Angeles superstar LeBron James scored 23 points in his return from an eight-game injury absence but the Boston Celtics spoilt the Lakers' welcome-back party with a dominant 130-108 National Basketball Association (NBA) victory on Friday.

The four-time NBA champion made 10 of 16 attempts, including three of seven from three-point range.

He also pulled down six rebounds and handed out two assists in his first game since suffering an abdominal strain in a victory over the Houston Rockets on Nov 2.

However, James' efforts were not enough as the Celtics finished with 56 points in the paint.

They trailed by 14 points early but outscored Los Angeles 33-21 in the third quarter to take an 11-point lead into the final period.

The fourth quarter also belonged to Boston (8-8), who outpointed the hosts 37-26 in the final period as they rolled to victory.

"They turned it up a notch and we didn't," said Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, who scored 12 points.

Boston's Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 37 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, while Marcus Smart added 22 points and former Laker Dennis Schroder had 21.

Anthony Davis paced the Lakers (8-9) with 31 points.

He said he thought James "looked like his old self" but admitted that the team would have to improve quickly after dropping to four losses in five games.

James added there was work to do after yet another dismal third-quarter performance from the Lakers but insisted that "there's no level of panic" with the season just a month in.

Points by which the Boston Celtics outscore the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half.

He added: "There should be a sense of urgency any time we hit the floor. We have to figure out how we can keep that sense of urgency as close to 48 minutes as possible.

"I'm more looking forward to seeing how I feel tomorrow when I wake up. That is the telltale sign if I'm going in the right direction with my injury."

In Detroit, Golden State's Jordan Poole stepped up with superstar Stephen Curry sitting out, scoring a season-high 32 points to propel the league-leading Warriors to a 105-102 victory over the Pistons.

Andrew Wiggins added 27 points and Nemanja Bjelica added 14 off the bench for the visitors. Reserve Frank Jackson led the Pistons with a season-high 27 points.

Besides Curry (sore hip), the Warriors were also missing Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr because of injuries but still improved to an NBA-best 14-2.

The Phoenix Suns, who are second in the Western Conference behind Golden State with a 12-3 record, were fuelled by 19 points from both Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker as they rallied to beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-104 at home and stretch their winning streak to 11 games.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE