HOUSTON — The combination of Luka Doncic and LeBron James was overpowering and enthralling for all to see during the Lakers’ dynamic 124-116 win over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Wednesday.
Doncic was masterful with his near triple-double of 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
“I thought he definitely put on a clinic down the stretch,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Whether it was in isolation, versus fires in isolations, versus the shock with (Alperen) Segun, he just got us good offense whether for himself or for his teammates every single time down the floor….We moved the basketball, so that kind of got us going and then when Luka came back in he was just fantastic.”
James was a force with 30 points, five rebounds and two assists.
He was super efficient, missing just one of his 14 shots and making both of his three-pointers.
“Look, he was awesome tonight and I think two, part of the evolution of him on this team has been, particularly in this stretch, it’s just been his patience,” Redick said. “His patience, knowing he’s going to get the ball and he’s going to have transition opportunities and he’s going to have plays called for him and he’s going to play off-ball and get a corner three…He was great.”
The tremendous play of Doncic and James is why the Lakers extended their winning streak to seven straight games and helped them take the three-game series over the Rockets, 2-1, winning both games here, one on Monday night.
And because Doncic and James were clutch down the stretch when the Lakers leaned on them to be clutch, they are the third-place team in the rugged Western Conference, holding a 1-½ lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“You know, when you win, everything is easier,” Doncic said. “Winning is fun. So, just the way we play, I think it’s a lot of fun. And that’s what we just do, we win, have a good time.”
Doncic had 10 points and three assists in the fourth quarter.
But the beauty of the night was when Doncic threw a no-look lob pass to James for a dunk and then when Doncic drilled a three-pointer with 58.4 seconds left for a 120-111 Lakers lead.
Doncic yelled at the crowd and ran down court shaking his head. When the Rockets called a time out, the Lakers bench all ran over to Doncic, hugging him, slapping him and James nudging him for a job very well done.
Doncic was asked what the fan said to set him off.
“I don’t know, some guy. Some guy was talking crazy,” Doncic said. “Showed me his… I don’t know. Nevermind.”
Doncic speaks several languages, including English and his native Slovenian.
He was asked what language he spoke when talking to the fan.
“Off the camera, it was in English,” he said. “I made sure he understand.”
Luka Doncic celebrates after making a three-pointer against the Houston Rockets in the first half.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
James had a steal in the first quarter and then threw down a dunk with Alperen Segen chasing him, leading to James to stare at Segun as he ran back down court, drawing cheers from the fans in awe at witnessing the 23-year veteran still making highlight plays at 41.
Early in the second quarter, James gave the fans even more to cheer about, catching a high lob pass from Marcus Smart and throwing down a one-handed dunk to oohs and aahs.
James wasn’t done, taking a pass from Jake LaRavia and throwing down another dunk later in the second quarter that brought the crowd out of its seats. That play gave the Lakers a 13-point lead.
James was at it again with a tip dunk off a Deandre Ayton missed shot late in the second quarter.
By the end of the first half, James had made all eight of his shots and scored 18 points in carrying the Lakers to a 12-point lead after the first 24 minutes of the game.
“Right now, I feel like….” James said after the game. ‘’Right now. But in the game I felt pretty good. Before the game I didn’t feel that great. I mean, I was yawning and tired and telling myself I was literally, just like talking to myself like, ‘Come on, here we go. Let’s figure it out. Let’s get through it.’ But I felt pretty good in the game and like I said I’m happy to make a few plays to help our team win.”
In many ways, it was easy to understand why he felt that way. He had just played in his 1,610th career NBA game, leaving him one shy of the all-time record held by Robert Parish (1,611).
So, James was asked, where did he find the energy to play 34 minutes and six seconds in such a high-level and intense game.
“I mean, if I’m in uniform I got to try to see what I can give,” James said. “And that’s where it stems from.”
Star NBA players like LeBron James take to social media to praise the Miami player’s incredible scoring achievement.
Published On 11 Mar 202611 Mar 2026
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Miami Heat centre Bam Adebayo’s 83-point performance against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday – the second-highest scoring game in NBA history – was a historic statistical line no one saw coming.
The Heat star shot 20-43 from the floor and was 7-22 from beyond the three-point line. Thirty-six of his 83 points came from the free-throw line (36 of 43).
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Entering the game, Adebayo was averaging just 18.9 points per night this season, placing him outside the top 40 scorers in the league.
Now, the 28-year-old only trails the legendary Wilt Chamberlain for most points scored in a single NBA game after he passed the late Kobe Bryant’s 81-point masterpiece against the Toronto Raptors, set in 2006.
Post-game, Adebayo spoke of the significance of passing Bryant, who he idolised growing up.
“To be 83 and passing [Bryant], in my mind, it’s like, what would he say to me? Because I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with him,” Adebayo said. “He’ll probably say, ‘Go do it again.’
“Just a surreal moment being in the company with somebody that you idolised growing up.”
Here is some reaction to the Miami big man’s incredible scoring feat from some of the biggest names in the NBA:
“BAM BAM BAM ,” wrote LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time career leading scorer, on X.
Former Miami Heat legend Dwayne Wade wrote: “83 for Cap”
Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant, who was asked about Adebayo’s achievement in a post-match news conference on Tuesday, said:
“I couldn’t believe it when I was hearing about it in real time. He got 30 in the first quarter … Congratulations to Bam. I know how much work he puts in.
“I looked at the statsheet, and it’s pretty crazy, 40 shots, 40 free throws, 20 threes, that takes a lot of stamina man, that takes a lot of energy to not only go out there to put those shots up, but also make them to set the record to surpass Kobe [Bryant] as the second-highest scorer in the history of the game,” Durant added.
WNBA player A’ja Wilson, left, and Adebayo embrace after he scored a career-high 83 points [Megan Briggs/Getty Images via AFP]
Unfortunately, his reward for such an achievement was a sore elbow — and a Lakers loss.
James broke Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the most career field goals in the regular season against the Denver Nuggets, but an elbow injury limited his contributions in crunch time of a 120-113 loss that ended the Lakers’ three-game winning streak.
After scoring over Denver center Nikola Jokic in the fourth quarter, James fell to the court and immediately grabbed his left elbow. He eventually got up and went to the bench with 3:58 remaining. He returned with 2:05 left and the Lakers down 112-111 before leaving again with 22 seconds left after Jokic scored consecutive baskets to give the Nuggets a 116-111 lead.
Sitting at his locker with his elbow wrapped in ice, James expressed frustration with referees not calling a foul on the play that led to his injury.
“That’s all [the referees] keep saying, ‘marginal.’ I’m so … tired of that word,” James said. “It doesn’t make no sense.”
And his elbow?
“It’s pretty sore right now,” James said. “It felt like one of those funny bone situations, but like, super more intense.”
USC’s Jazzy Davidson leaves the game after sustaining an injury against Washington on Thursday.
(Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
From Marisa Ingemi: If the USC women’s basketball hoped to make a case for a favorable NCAA tournament seed, the Trojans did themselves no favors during the past two weeks culminating with Thursday’s Big Ten tournament loss.
The No. 9 seed Trojans let a second-round tournament contest against No. 8 seed Washington get out of hand in the third quarter, stumbling to a 76-64 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. USC’s conference run ended quickly after the Trojans delivered one of their worst offensive outings of the season.
It was USC’s fourth consecutive loss, putting its NCAA tournament positioning in question.
“There were eight teams that finished above us in our league,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “Seven of them in the last reveal are hosting, and the other one here is obviously a tournament team that now we’ve split with. I don’t think [an at-large bid] is in question.”
Rams tight end Tyler Higbee celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals on Jan. 4.
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
From Gary Klein: The Rams are keeping their longest-tenured player in the fold.
On Thursday, the Rams agreed to terms with tight end Tyler Higbee on a two-year contract, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The people requested anonymity because the deal has not been announced.
Higbee, 33, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Rams in 2016, and he is the leader of a tight end group that includes Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson, a 2025 second-round pick. Coach Sean McVay relied heavily on the group last season when he implemented a scheme that featured multiple tight end sets to protect quarterback Matthew Stafford, improve run blocking and complement star receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Andrew Toles bats for the Dodgers during a game in April 2017.
(Ralph Freso / Associated Press)
From Ed Guzman: The story of the Dodgers and Andrew Toles is one of a franchise trying to do the right thing by one of its former players struggling with mental health challenges.
Toles, a promising outfielder who played parts of three seasons with the team from 2016 to 2018, did not report to spring training in 2019 and was quietly placed on the restricted list before it was eventually revealed that Toles had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Every year since 2019, the team has quietly renewed Toles’ contract so he can retain his health insurance while placing him on the restricted list so he would not take a roster spot.
UCLA gymnast Ciena Alipio, left, celebrates with teammate Jordan Chiles after completing a beam routine against Washington on Jan. 30.
(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)
From Anthony Solorzano: Coming into her senior year, Ciena Alipio wanted to be as present as humanly possible and learn how to trust herself going into every competition.
She set forth goals for herself and a bigger one for the UCLA gymnastics team. With the first box checked after clinching their second consecutive Big Ten title, the work toward meeting each of her standards is just beginning.
“You’re seeing the result of every hard practice that we’re having,” Alipio said after Friday’s victory over Maryland. “We’re putting in work and we’re doing what we absolutely have to every single day in the gym and I think it’s just putting it all together on the same day.”
Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts at the end of a 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
From Broderick Turner: Lakers star Luka Doncic is one technical away from receiving an automatic one-game suspension after he picked up his 15th technical of the season in a 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Doncic, who had 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, was charged with a technical with 5:43 left in the second quarter.
“Just because I yelled at him, I guess. That’s what he said,” said Doncic about his interaction with referee Ed Malloy. “But I heard three other players say the exact same sentence and didn’t get a tech. And that’s my problem, you know, I was trying not to talk at all. This is the first thing I said — no warning or nothing.”
While the right-hander is away from Camelback Ranch, other pitchers vying for a spot in the Dodgers’ starting rotation will be under the microscope — especially with health concerns yet again coming into play.
The Dodgers are no strangers to navigating pitching injuries over the course of a long season. Last year, Yamamoto was the only Dodgers starter to not miss a turn, making 30 starts before making five more during the postseason. But other than the now-retired Clayton Kershaw, who made 22 starts last year, no other Dodger hurler started more than 18 games.
In exchange for Carlson, the Ducks will send a conditional first-round pick (2026 or 2027 draft) and a third-round pick (2027) to Washington.
Carlson, who played an integral part of the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup win and is a former Norris Trophy runner-up for the NHL’s top defenseman, should bring a veteran presence to a young Ducks team that is on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson, center, celebrates with forwards Artemi Panarin, left, and Anze Kopitar after scoring during the second period of a win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
From the Associated Press:Artemi Panarin scored his first goal in a Kings uniform to lead his new team past the New York Islanders 5-3 on Thursday night for the club’s first victory under interim head coach D.J. Smith.
Kings captain Anze Kopitar had an assist while playing his 1,500th game, becoming the 25th player in NHL history to hit the mark. The Slovenian center, who is retiring this spring after 20 seasons in Los Angeles, is just five points away from passing Marcel Dionne to become the Kings’ career scoring leader.
Learner Tien plays a forehand return to Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open quarterfinals on Jan. 27.
(Dita Alangkara / Associated Press)
From Douglas Robson:Learner Tien’s first trip to the BNP Paribas Open a year ago barely registered — a curious outcome for what was essentially his hometown tournament debut.
Feeling unwell and still adjusting to the weekly grind of the ATP Tour, the Irvine native exited in the first round and quickly scratched it from his mind.
“Honestly, I don’t really remember my tournament here last year that well,” says Tien as he shuttled between pre-tournament media obligations this week. “I was in and out pretty quick.”
But 12 months is a lot of runway for a young player whose all-court ingenuity, appetite for improvement and ability to shed setbacks have generated lift.
“So far this year, everything has felt good,” Tien says. “And I’m feeling pretty comfortable.”
1920 — Mickey Roach of Toronto scores five goals to lead the St. Patricks to an 11-2 rout of the Quebec Bulldogs.
1964 — Boxing legend Cassius Clay joins the Nation of Islam and changes his name to ”Muhammad Ali″, calling his former title a “slave name”.
1976 — Dorothy Hamill wins the World Figure Skating Championships in Goteberg, Sweden.
1977 — Montclair State’s Carol Blazejowski scores 52 points against Queens College, setting a new collegiate scoring record (for men or women) in the current Madison Square Garden in New York.
1982 — The San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks combine for 337 points in the highest scoring game in NBA history, to that point. The Spurs win, 171-166, in three overtimes.
1983 — The 12-team United States Football League begins its first season with five games.
1984 — Dale Hawerchuck of the Winnipeg Jets sets the NHL record for most assists in one period, with five in the second period of a 7-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings.
1988 — Julie Krone becomes the winningest female jockey in history with her 1,205th career victory. Krone rides a filly named Squawter to victory in the ninth race at Aqueduct Racetrack.
1996 — Detroit’s Chris Osgood becomes the third goalie in NHL history to score a goal, firing the puck into an empty net with 11 seconds remaining in the Red Wings’ 4-2 victory over Hartford.
2000 — Shaquille O’Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers scores an NBA season-high 61 points and had 23 rebounds in a 123-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
2001 — George Mason beats North Carolina-Wilmington 35-33 in the second-lowest scoring game in the shot-clock era of NCAA basketball.
2010 — Devin Harris scores 31 points and the New Jersey Nets erased an early 16-point deficit to beat New York 113-93. The Knicks miss all 18 attempts in the most futile 3-point shooting night in league history.
2011 — Lindsey Vonn clinches her third discipline title in three days with a super-G victory to wrap up a memorable weekend of ski racing in Tarvisio, Italy. Vonn took the super-combined and downhill titles the previous two days.
2014 — The Los Angeles Clippers rout the rival Los Angeles Lakers 142-94. It’s the most lopsided victory ever for the Clippers’ franchise and the most one-sided loss in Lakers history.
2015 — Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is suspended for nine games, with the school punished for ignoring the “most fundamental core values of the NCAA” for academic, drug and other violations committed primarily by the men’s basketball program. The school is put on probation for five years and the basketball team is forced to vacate 108 wins in which ineligible players participated.
2015 — Shane Walsh scores the winning goal in the fifth overtime to lead UMass to a 4-3 victory over Notre Dame in the longest game in NCAA Division I ice hockey history.
2019 — LeBron James scores his 32,293rd point in the 2nd quarter of a Lakers’ 115-99 loss to Denver in LA to pass Michael Jordan into 4th place on the NBA all-time point scoring list.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
James entered Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets needing to make three field goals to pass Abdul-Jabbar for the most made field goals in league history. James tied Adbul-Jabbar’s mark for most regular-season field goals when he dunked off a lob pass from Luka Doncic with 8:33 left in the first quarter.
He set the new mark of 15,838 with a fadeaway jumper near the Lakers’ bench with 11.8 seconds left in the first quarter.
When James went to the bench with the Lakers trailing 32-22 at the end of the quarter, the Denver Nuggets’ public address announcer told the crowd about his accomplishment. James was given a standing ovation from the fans at Ball Arena.
“LeBron’s greatest hits, he just keeps adding to them,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick before the game. “He just plays and plays and plays. And the greatest hits are just… he’s got a hell of a catalog.”
The search for sustained consistency remained a focus for the Lakers on Sunday against a Sacramento Kings team with the NBA’s worst record.
And it helped that the Lakers were completely healthy against the Kings, something that has eluded them nearly all season.
Behind strong efforts from Luka Doncic and LeBron James, the Lakers defeated the struggling Kings 128-104 at Crypto.com Arena in their second straight blowout win.
Doncic, one of five Lakers to score in double figures, scored 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting. He made four three-pointers and had nine assists and five rebounds.
James, who played after initially being listed as questionable because of arthritis in his left foot, scored 24 points in 27 minutes on eight-for-15 shooting. He made a trio of threes and had five assists.
Deandre Ayton and Austin Reaves both had 12 points and Luke Kennard had 11 points off the bench. Rui Hachimura played 22 minutes off the bench and had eight points and two rebounds after missing the previous two games because of illness.
Nique Clifford led the Kings (14-48) with 26 points and had seven rebounds.
The Lakers are 3-3 since the All-Star break with 28- and 24-point wins after three straight losses.
“Again, just the world is falling for us 19 times (after double-digit losses this season),” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “ It’s just part of the nature of this cycle and our guys. … Our guys bounced back and responded well throughout the season. Tied in the lost column for fifth (with Denver in the Western Conference) and a couple games out of third with a number of these teams coming up that are right there with us. So, we just are going to keep plugging away.”
Lakers forward Jake LaRavia, top, and Sacramento forward Precious Achiuwa battle for the ball during the Lakers’ win Sunday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
Just as in Saturday’s win at Golden State, the Lakers (36-24) benefited from strong shooting. They shot 50% from the field and 46% from three-point range.
One of the most exciting plays happened in the first quarter when Marcus Smart dived for a loose ball and, while prone on his back, passed to James. The Lakers star then passed to a hustling Austin Reaves, who took a few dribbles to get a Kings defender to commit before making an alley-oop pass to James for a two-handed, rim-hanging dunk.
The crowd was whipped into a frenzy. The Kings called a timeout, allowing the Lakers and their fans to soak in the moment.
Lakers star Luka Doncic celebrates after a three-pointer by teammate Rui Hachimura against the Kings on Sunday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
There was another play in the third quarter in which Doncic slipped and almost fell down, losing control of the ball. But Doncic regained his balance and the ball before shooting an off-balance three-pointer that gave the Lakers a 24-point lead.
“Ah, yeah, it was on purpose,” Doncic said about falling down. “I tripped on purpose and it was, how do you say, the ‘And-1 Mixtape,’ that’s what they said on the bench. So, I did it on purpose.”
Doncic smiled.
It was that kind of night for the Lakers, a game full of highlights and fun that allowed Redick to empty his bench in the fourth quarter.
“Yeah, obviously it was two great wins, but we just got to go game by game,” Doncic said. “Obviously there’s a lot of noise outside, but like tonight, we can’t pay attention to that. … I thought we played great.”
Maxi Kleber was another standout for the Lakers, making all three of his shots for six points. He also had six rebounds and a block.
His two lob dunks left his Lakers teammates celebrating from the bench.
“Every time I do something, you know, you look to the bench, everybody’s celebrating,” Kleber said. “So, obviously it’s a good push for me, a good push for the team.”
