Luka Doncic pours in 49 to carry LA Lakers past Minnesota Timberwolves
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic celebrates in the second half as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Johnny Juzang watches.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic scored 32 of his 49 points in the first half and added 11 rebounds and eight assists, as the Los Angeles Lakers turned a productive shooting night into a 128-110 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Austin Reaves produced 25 points and 11 assists, Rui Hachimura had 23 points and Deandre Ayton added 15 as the Lakers beat the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.
Doncic shot 14 of 23 (60.9%) from the floor and 5 of 12 from 3-point range while setting his Lakers high for points in a game. Los Angeles hit 59.2% overall to 46.6% for Minnesota.
With a chance to reach 50 points for the eighth time in his career, Doncic missed one of two free throws with 3:05 remaining and then left the game for the last time.
“They didn’t have much when I was attacking the paint in the first half,” he said.
“In the second half, we had energy.”
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Julius Randle added 26 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, who saw the game start to slip away when the Lakers shot 64.7% from the floor in a 32-point second quarter.
Donte DiVincenzo scored 13 points and Jaden McDaniels added 10 for Minnesota, which went 1-1 on a season-opening road trip and will face the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers in the home opener on Sunday.
In other games, Victor Wembanyama racked up 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocked shots and San Antonio’s supporting cast made the plays down the stretch as the visiting Spurs outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 120-116 in overtime.
“Really enjoyed it once it was over, it was pretty stressful,” said the Spurs centre.
“We knew they were going to mess up at some point, for sure, and our job was to not mess up. It takes a lot of communication and trust in your teammates.”
Deni Avdija registered 26 points, six assists and five rebounds as one of eight Portland players scoring in double digits to help the Trail Blazers rout the visiting Golden State Warriors 139-119.
Jerami Grant scored 22 points off the bench and Toumani Camara had 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals as Portland snapped its nine-game losing streak against Golden State.
James Harden scored 26 of his game-high 30 points in the first half, and the Los Angeles Clippers dominated the middle periods to cruise past the Phoenix Suns 129-102. REUTERS, AFP
