Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James
Anthony Davis left in the third quarter after bruising his lower back on a painful fall during the Los Angeles Lakers’ sixth straight victory, 117-87 over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Davis bruised his sacrum — the bottom part of his spine above the tailbone — when he attempted to block Julius Randle’s driving shot. He got knocked off balance and fell awkwardly to the court, landing hard on his back with 2:45 left in the third.
The six-time All-Star pounded the court in pain and stayed down for roughly two minutes, but eventually rose with his teammates’ help and then slowly walked off unaided.
X-rays were negative, but Davis didn’t return to the game. His agent, Rich Paul, said his client felt extremely sore.
LeBron James scored 31 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15, but the Lakers (30-7) didn’t exactly celebrate becoming the second team to win 30 games this season.
R.J. Barrett scored 19 points for the Knicks, and Randle had 15 points and 10 rebounds against his former team. New York dropped to 0-3 on its four-game West Coast trip.
KINGS 114, SUNS 103
De’Aaron Fox scored 27 points, Nemanja Bjelica added 19 and Sacramento rallied from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Phoenix.
The Kings — who have won three of their last four — got big contributions from bench players Dewayne Dedmon and Trevor Ariza. Dedmon finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Ariza — who played for Phoenix part of last season — added 15 points.
The Suns were led by Devin Booker, who scored 34 points and had seven assists. It was Booker’s seventh straight game with at least 30 points, which extends his franchise record.
Deandre Ayton added 21 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17 points.
TRAIL BLAZERS 101, RAPTORS 99
Carmelo Anthony made the winning basket with four seconds remaining and Portland rallied to beat Toronto.
Anthony scored 28 points, Damian Lillard had 20 and Hassan Whiteside added 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who snapped a four-game losing streak in Toronto and won for the second time in 10 meetings with the Raptors.
Anfernee Simons scored 12 points and C.J. McCollum had 10.
Kyle Lowry had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 11 rebounds as the injury-ravaged Raptors lost for just the second time in 16 games against opponents with losing records.
Oshae Brisett scored a career-high 12 points for Toronto. and Chris Boucher also had 12, including 10 straight Raptors points in the fourth.
PISTONS 115, CAVALIERS 113
Derrick Rose hit a 15-footer with 27 seconds left and Detroit rallied past Cleveland.
Rose, who scored 24 points, scored on a runner in the lane to give Detroit a 114-113 lead and cap a comeback that began with the Pistons trailing 110-91 early in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland set up for a go-ahead shot, but Collin Sexton was called for stepping out of bounds with seven seconds left. The ruling was overturned, but Sexton’s shot in the lane didn’t hit the rim and Detroit was awarded possession on a shot-clock violation.
Andre Drummond finished with 23 points and 20 rebounds, the 38th time in his career he has hit the 20-mark in both categories.
Kevin Love matched a season high with 30 points, but Cleveland lost its fifth straight and went winless on its four-game homestand.
THUNDER 111, NETS 103, OT
Chris Paul scored 20 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, leading Oklahoma City past Brooklyn.
The game was tied at 103 before Paul made consecutive jumpers and the Nets never scored again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander closed out the scoring with four free throws, after making a jumper to open OT.
Gilgeous-Alexander added 22 points for the Thunder, who bounced back from a loss Monday in Philadelphia to win for the sixth time in seven games. Steven Adams had 10 points and 18 rebounds as Oklahoma City won without Danilo Gallinari, who rested a calf injury.
Taurean Prince scored 21 points and Caris LeVert had 20 in his second game back from right thumb surgery, but the Nets dropped their seventh straight. Spencer Dinwiddie had 14 points, but he struggled early and late in a 6 for 21 night.
GRIZZLIES 119, TIMBERWOLVES 112
Dillon Brooks scored 28 points, Ja Morant added 25 and Memphis rallied in the fourth quarter for a victory over Minnesota.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 21 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in fourth. Jae Crowder finished with 14 points and eight rebounds as Memphis won its third straight.
Rookie Jarrett Culver led the Timberwolves with a career-high 24 points, converting 8 of 11 shots, including 3 of 5 from outside the arc. Jeff Teague scored 18 points and handed out six assists for Minnesota, while Robert Covington scored 17 points. Andrew Wiggins had 15 points. AP
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