Luka Doncic returns with 42 points as the Los Angeles Lakers down the Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA clash

LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic returned from suspension to score 42 points, as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 127-113 to extend their impressive form with a fourth straight National Basketball Association victory on March 31.

The Lakers, who have emerged as genuine title contenders after winning 15 of 17 games in March to climb up the Western Conference standings, took control with big quarters either side of half-time to cruise to victory.

They outscored Cleveland 33-19 in the second quarter and then erupted for 45 points in the third to put the game away.

Doncic finished with 42 points, 12 assists and five rebounds, shooting six of 13 from three-point range.

The 27-year-old’s latest virtuoso performance also saw him finish March with a total of 600 points, breaking Kobe Bryant’s record for the most points scored by a Lakers player in a calendar month, which had stood at 578 set in 2006.

The Slovenian said extending his team’s winning run meant more than setting personal records.

“If you don’t win, it doesn’t really mean anything,” Doncic told reporters.

“So the run that we’ve been on, it really means a lot. We’ve got to keep playing like that.”

Austin Reaves added 19 points while Deandre Ayton scored 18 as six Lakers players finished in double figures.

LeBron James finished with 14 points as the win saw him pass yet another statistical milestone.

The 41-year-old’s 1,229th career win in regular-season and play-off games breaks the record previously held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Lakers coach JJ Redick singled out James for praise in helping knit the team together during their recent resurgence.

“He’s great on both sides of the ball,” Redick said. “He’s just doing a little bit of everything at a super high level for us.

“Luka may get the headlines here and there, AR (Reaves) may get a headline. But really it’s been every single guy and LeBron has led on that.”

The Lakers are now looking ahead to a blockbuster showdown against the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on the road on April 2.

Elsewhere on March 31, Jrue Holiday scored 30 points and Deni Avdija recorded 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, as the Portland Trail Blazers scored a crucial 114-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood, California.

Portland pulled within half a game of the Clippers for eighth place in the West, a spot that would require just one play-in win instead of two to reach the play-offs. The Blazers turned in an inspired performance, taking the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquishing it.

Off the court, Mark Cuban said he has had a change of heart about selling his majority share in the Dallas Mavericks in December 2023.

But it is not about selling that share of the franchise per se, he said. His regret centres on selling it to Miriam Adelson and her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont.

“I don’t regret selling,” Cuban said on an episode of the Intersections podcast. “I regret who I sold to. I made a lot of mistakes in the process and I’ll leave it at that.”

AFP, REUTERS