Lakers Rally As Reaves Scores 35 In 119-115 Victory Over Sixers After Doncic Leaves Early

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Austin Reaves powered the Los Angeles Lakers with 35 points in 25 minutes, while the Charlotte Hornets extended their longest winning run in more than two decades and the San Antonio Spurs held off another big performance from Cooper Flagg in a busy night of NBA action.

The Lakers edged the Philadelphia 76ers 119-115, closing strongly despite Luka Doncic leaving late in the first half. Earlier, the Hornets beat the Houston Rockets 109-99 for an eighth straight win, before the Spurs defeated the Dallas Mavericks 135-123 behind Victor Wembanyama’s all-round display.

Doncic, who led the NBA in scoring, exited with 3:03 left in the second quarter. Doncic appeared to hurt a left leg while attacking the opposite end, then limped off and did not return because of what the Lakers described as left leg soreness, changing the tone of the contest.

Reaves, Doncic and LeBron James were sharing the court for just the 10th time this season, after each dealt with major injury issues. James produced 17 points and 10 assists, organising the offence as the Lakers overturned a 14-point deficit during a strong second half.

The victory came in the Lakers’ first home game after a demanding eight-game road swing, adding context to the late surge. The result also ended Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak, which had stretched back to Jan. 26, and showed renewed resilience from a roster previously disrupted by injuries.

Joel Embiid matched Reaves with 35 points for the 76ers, keeping Philadelphia competitive throughout. Tyrese Maxey contributed 26 points and 13 assists as the 76ers first let a 14-point lead slip, then nearly erased a 16-point second-half deficit before falling short against the Lakers’ closing defence.

Rookie Kon Knueppel led Charlotte with 24 points, while LaMelo Ball added 20 as the Hornets controlled the Rockets. Charlotte built a 16-point cushion after three quarters, then stretched the advantage to 96-75 when Brandon Miller opened the fourth period with the first five points.

A later 5-0 burst, capped by a Sion James 3-pointer, pushed the Hornets ahead 103-81 with about eight minutes left. At that stage, Houston coach Ime Udoka removed the starters, accepting a second heavy defeat in as many nights following a 114-93 loss to Boston on Wednesday.

Houston, which started the night in fourth place in the Western Conference, again relied on Kevin Durant, who finished with 31 points. Jabari Smith Jr. added 17 points, but Alperen Sengun, averaging 21.2 points, managed only seven on 3-of-11 shooting in a frustrating offensive outing.

Miles Bridges supported Charlotte’s attack with 18 points, while Miller closed with 11 after foul problems. Miller picked up three fouls in the first quarter and then sat the entire second, but still helped Charlotte secure an eighth consecutive win, the club’s longest streak since a nine-game run in 1998-99.

San Antonio Spurs NBA win and Cooper Flagg scoring record

In Dallas, Wembanyama produced 29 points and 11 rebounds as San Antonio outlasted the Mavericks. The Spurs had seven players scoring in double figures, using depth and late shooting to counter Cooper Flagg’s latest standout night and secure the 135-123 road victory.

Flagg scored 32 points, extending an NBA record for teenagers with at least 30 points in four straight games. The 19-year-old joined Michael Jordan, Bernard King, Allen Iverson and Jalen Green as the only rookies to post 30 or more in four consecutive contests since the 1976-77 NBA-ABA merger.

Harrison Barnes added 19 points for the Spurs, while De’Aaron Fox scored 17 despite a difficult shooting performance. Fox still hit two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the second coming off Wembanyama’s sixth assist and pushing San Antonio ahead 131-123 with 1:24 remaining.

Stephon Castle supplied 18 points and seven rebounds for San Antonio, finishing the night with a forceful put-back dunk that closed the scoring. Dallas received another 32-point effort from Naji Marshall, while Daniel Gafford posted 16 points and 10 rebounds after remaining with the Mavericks past the trade deadline.

The Lakers’ late surge against Philadelphia, Charlotte’s extended winning run, and San Antonio’s balanced effort against Dallas each highlighted different paths to victory, with injuries, foul trouble and schedule demands shaping performances across a night that carried playoff implications in both conferences.