Category: Basketball

SAN FRANCISCO — If they hadn’t already, the Warriors can probably kiss any hopes they had of avoiding the play-in tournament goodbye.

Golden State looked listless, lackadaisical and downright lost at times Saturday night against the team it would have to chase down to secure anything higher than the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

The Warriors quickly fell into a double-digit hole against the Lakers and never recovered in a lopsided 129-101 loss. In front of a national television audience, they fell behind by as many as 32 points — 17 just in the first quarter — and never cut the deficit to single digits.

The loss means the Warriors trail the Lakers by 4.5 games with 22 to play and would need to win their final meeting April 9 just to even the season series at two games apiece.

“It’s a lot. It’s a lot to make up in 22 games,” coach Steve Kerr acknowledged.

Steph Curry (knee) missed his 10th consecutive game, Kristaps Porzingis (illness) was ruled out shortly before tipoff and what was left of the Warriors’ starting five crumbled against the Lakers’ Big 3.

LeBron James (22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds), Luka Doncic (26 points, eight assists, six rebounds) and Austin Reaves (18 points) had all checked out for the final time by the midpoint of the fourth quarter and still individually bested the Warriors’ top scorer, Gui Santos (14).

Rookie Will Richard added to the Warriors’ injury woes, rolling his ankle and leaving the game in the second quarter.

Only more miles will be required to be put on the Warriors’ aging and ailing group the further they fall in the standings. As the No. 8 seed as it currently stands, they would need to either beat the seventh-seeded Suns on the road or prevail in a second play-in contest against the Trail Blazers or Clippers, who have the Nos. 9 and 10 spots all but locked down.

After the loss, the Warriors trail the Suns by three games for the No. 7 seed with a 2.5-game cushion on the Blazers in the No. 9 spot.

“We don’t even talk about it,” Kerr said. “That’s not anything that is worth discussing because we just have to try to go out there and win and see what happens.”

The Warriors emerged from the play-in last season to upset the Rockets in the first round. But the veteran group said the pedal-to-the-metal final two months of the season, including the play-in win, caught up to them as Curry went down injured and they lost to the Timberwolves in five games the following round.

Making matters more complicated, Golden State is already without Jimmy Butler for the rest of the season and is unsure when Curry will be cleared to return. The team is set to provide an update on his right knee Sunday, but Curry reportedly suffered a setback over the All-Star break and the ailment commonly known as runner’s knee already has a varying timetable.

In an interview with ESPN during the game, Curry said he expects it is “going to be a little longer” before he is cleared to return. Golden State hosts the Clippers on Monday.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealander Daniel Hillier held off a late charge from Australian Lucas Herbert Sunday to defend his overnight lead and to win the 105th New Zealand Open by two shots.

Hillier also overcame strong winds and cold conditions to post a final round 67 for a 22-under four-round total of 262 at the par-72 Millbrook Resort. Herbert shot 67, finishing 20 under at 264.

The winner of the New Zealand Open receives automatic entry to The Open Championship but as Hillier already has qualified that prize passes to Herbert who will now play at Royal Birkdale from July 16.

Hillier, who was married earlier this week, led by one shot at 18 under coming into the final round. He made birdie, birdie, par, eagle, birdie to finish his third round and to seize the outright lead.

Hillier turned at 20-under Sunday, a shot ahead of Herbert who had just birdied the 10th hole. Hillier bogeyed the 10th and again saw his lead cut to one shot, but made birdies at the 11th and 12th holes to reestablish his lead.

Herbert had a chance to chip in on the par-three final hole to put pressure on the leader but his shot from off the green slid past the hole. Hillier was able to make par and was showered by champagne on the 18th green.

He became the first New Zealander since 2017 to win his national open.

“This is the second-best day of my life after my wedding earlier in the week,” Hillier said. "It was a lot more stressful coming down the stretch.

“This has been the absolute best week of my life. To break the Kiwi drought was very special. I've been dreaming of this a long time. I knew I had the game to do it but it was just a matter of not getting ahead of myself.”

Five-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Na of the United States shot a final round 72 to finish in a tie for 19th place.

Na has spent the last four years on the LIV tour but has decided to return to traditional tours in 2026 and made the New Zealand Open the first tournament on his return.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — João Klauss scored two goals two minutes apart in the first 13 minutes — after a score by Lucas Sanabria — and the Los Angeles Galaxy cruised to a 3-0 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday night.

Sanabria gave the Galaxy (1-0-1) the lead in the 8th minute with an unassisted goal. Sanabria had two goals in 21 appearances as a rookie last season.

Klauss took a pass from Gabriel Pec and scored in the 11th minute, then scored unassisted two minutes later for a three-goal lead. Pec's first assist this season gives him 24 through his first 64 matches.

Klauss scored the lone goal in a 1-1 season-opening draw with visiting New York City FC. He came over in a cash-for-player trade with St. Louis City in the hopes he'd help ease the loss of superstar Riqui Puig for a second straight season after complications from a torn ACL. So far, so good for the 29-year-old forward with 28 goals in 81 career appearances.

Novak Micovic needed to make just one save to notch his fourth clean sheet in his 26th career start for the Galaxy.

Kristijan Kahlina saved eight shots for Charlotte (0-1-1), which was coming off a 1-1 draw at St. Louis City on a goal by Pep Biel — one of 11 players in the league with double-digit goals and assists last season.

Up next

Charlotte: Hosts Austin FC on Saturday.

Los Angeles: At Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

The Lakers took an important step toward capturing the Pacific Division title, one of the NBA’s most prestigious awards.

Jokes aside, it is interesting how little divisions matter in the NBA. Because so many teams make the playoffs, the divisions are kind of useless. In the past, division winners were guaranteed home court advantage, but that would make the current seventh-seed Magic and the Lakers the third seeds in the conferences.

The problem doesn’t have a clear solution, but outside of local rivalries, there isn’t much juice to these divisional games and never has been. Should the league make any changes? Should division standings have more of an impact on playoff seeding?

It feels like those games should matter more, but it’s unclear what that solution should be.

Anyway, the Lakers completely dominated in this one, as a team should when facing a Warriors side without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler or Kristaps Porzingis.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Marcus Smart

29 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 foul, 3-6 FG, 2-4 3PT, +25

A very professional approach to this one from the team and Smart, who took this game seriously from the start with a strong defensive effort that helped them to an early lead.

Grade: B+

LeBron James

28 minutes, 22 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 7-13 FG, 4-6 3PT, 4-5 FT, +26

LeBron was sorely overdue for a good shooting night from three. In fact, he’s due for a whole lot of them in the stretch run of the season.

LeBron can't miss from three 🎯

Already cashed four times in the first half on ABC 🔥 pic.twitter.com/643tZL7Yus

— ESPN (@espn) March 1, 2026

Grade: A

Deandre Ayton

20 minutes, 4 points, 10 rebounds, 2-5 FG, 0-2 FT, +14

The dominant win really overshadowed another poor showing from Ayton. I won’t harp on it too long to bring down the vibes, but there’s a growing argument for Hayes to take his starting spot.

Grade: C-

Austin Reaves

28 minutes, 18 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 7-11 FG, 2-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, +22

Reaves also needed a good game and had that in the first half. He was aggressive in attacking the rim and looked much closer to the version of Austin that opened the season.

Grade: A-

Luka Dončić

29 minutes, 26 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 9-17 FG, 4-9 3PT, 4-4 FT, +26

The Lakers led big in the first half despite Luka being largely a non-factor. He rectified that by hitting everything in the first four minutes of the third quarter. It was a very happy birthday for Luka.

LUKA DONCIC DRAINS FOUR TRIPLES IN A ROW ON HIS BIRTHDAY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DZGhCWeBfb

— ESPN (@espn) March 1, 2026

Grade: A

Luke Kennard

27 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 6-10 FG, 4-7 3PT, +14

This was pretty safely Kennard’s best game as a Laker, and not just because he hit four threes. His ability to attack closeouts and finish at the rim remains a valuable asset.

Grade: A

Jaxson Hayes

15 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 foul, 3-4 FG, +18

Even if Hayes only played a short amount, it’s amazing how much different — and better — the offense looks with a center willing to roll hard to the rim and is a legitimate lob threat.

Grade: B

Jake LaRavia

27 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 6-10 FG, 3-6 3PT, 0-3 FT, +14

A lot of role players had good games for the Lakers with LaRavia among them. Some of his stats came in garbage time, but he was also hitting shots when it mattered, including the three that emptied the benches for both teams.

Grade: A-

Jarred Vanderbilt

12 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1-4 FG, 0-1 3PT, -7

I appreciate Vando’s desire to posterize someone in garbage time. After he failed once, he kept at it and got one.

Grade: C+

Maxi Kleber

13 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3PT, -4

Another player who did most of his damage in garbage time. He had a nice finish over Draymond before then, though.

Grade: B+

Dalton Knecht, Kobe Bufkin

Two guys who saw some garbage time run. Bufkin got up five shots in six minutes. Admirable.

JJ Redick

A strong showing from JJ, but it was against the Warriors. Everyone should look good against the Warriors.

Grade: A

Saturday’s inactives: Rui Hachimura, Drew Timme, Nick Smith Jr., Bronny James, Adou Thiero, Chris Mañon

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) — Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has another potential injury to deal with after leaving New Orleans’ game at Utah in the second quarter Saturday night.

The Pelicans announced Williamson would not return due to an injury to his right ankle in a game New Orleans went on to win 115-105.

Interim coach James Borrego said Williams “tweaked the ankle,” but didn't have an immediate update on severity of the injury. “Hopefully, it's nothing serious, and we'll have him back out there very soon,” Borrego said.

It’s the latest setback for the oft-injured player who had already missed 16 games this season due to various ailments. The game against Utah was the two-time All-Star’s 35th straight — an NBA career-best for Williamson — dating to Dec. 11, after he sat out five games with a right hip adductor strain.

Williamson had four points, two assists and a rebound in 11 minutes of playing time against Utah.

Selected by the Pelicans with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft out of Duke, Williams has been limited to playing just 258 of 543 potential regular-season games, and never more than 25 in a row before this most recent stretch. He also missed the entire 2021-22 season with a broken right foot.

The Pelicans’ lineup was already depleted in playing without small forward Trey Murphy (right shoulder), center Yves Missi (left calf) and guard Dejounte Murray (reconditioning).

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 24 points as New Orleans beat the Jazz 115-105 on Saturday night to complete a two-game sweep in Utah after Pelicans star Zion Williamson left the game with an ankle injury.

Williamson left early in the second quarter with a right ankle injury and didn’t return. He had four points, two assists and a rebound in 11 minutes.

Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said only that Williams “tweaked” his ankle. He said he would get more information and hoped it was nothing serious.

Bey, coming off a 42-point performance in Thursday's 129-118 win of the Pelicans, shot 7 for 16 from the field and 3 for 8 from long distance, and was helped by 7-for-10 shooting from the line.

Jeremiah Fears and Bryce McGowens each scored 18 points, Herbert Jones scored 10 of his 17 points in the first half and Jordan Poole added 11. Fears chipped in 11 rebounds and five assists as New Orleans won its fourth straight and for the sixth time in eight games.

Isaiah Collier's 21 points led Utah, which lost its fifth straight. Keyonte George, who was back in the lineup after missing 10 games with ankle sprains, scored 17. Elijah Harkless scored 14, Ace Bailey had 13, Kyle Filipowski added 12 and Brice Sensabaugh 10.

The Pelicans used a 15-0 run to close out the second quarter for a 25-point lead at 65-40 at the break. New Orleans shot 50% (22 for 44) from the field in the first half, while the Jazz sent 14 for 52 (27%).

Utah cut its deficit to 16 points after three quarters and scored the first nine points of the fourth to close within seven. New Orleans then went on an 8-0 run to restore a comfortable advantage and was never threatened again.

For New Orleans, Trey Murphy III missed his fifth straight game due to a right shoulder injury. Dejounte Murray (return to competition conditioning) and Yves Missi (left calf strain) were also out.

The Jazz were missing Jaren Jackson Jr. (left knee), Walker Kessler (left shoulder), Lauri Markkanen (hip), Jusuf Nurkic (nose) and Vince Williams Jr. (left knee).

Up next

Pelicans: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

Jazz: Host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Utah Jazz successfully lose yet another must-lose tank-off game vs the New Orleans Pelicans, with the final score of 105-115.

The Pelicans have nothing to lose since their pick goes to the Atlanta Hawks this year, but with this loss, the Utah Jazz and Pelicans are now tied for the 5th-best odds in landing a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Despite the return of Keyonte George, this was one of the ugliest losses of the season, and I don’t mean ugly as in “oh, we’re playing our bench,” I mean that the Jazz just could not buy a bucket at all — there was a lid on the rim (34% FG as a team). However, the Jazz had a nice late scoring run in an attempt to come back into the game after being down by 20+ points — it was fun, but it didn’t amount to anything greater.

It was nice to see Keyonte out there again; it felt like a breath of fresh air considering the basketball we’ve been witnessing recently. He ended the game with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and no turnovers! Great to see the kid out there, and I’m looking forward to watching him ball out as we get closer to the end of the season.

It is always a joy to watch Elijah Harkless. He brings the intensity and grit that’s a sight for sore eyes, and something we haven’t seen on the Jazz in a while. He ended the game with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and he led the team in plus-minus! Could we see him be a rotation player for the Jazz next season?

For the Pelicans, even after Saddiq Bey dropped 42 on us the other night, the Jazz seemingly did not learn their lesson, as he was the New Orleans Pelicans’ highest scorer with 24 points. The Utah Jazz’s defensive issues will be somewhat resolved next season as they’ll have a loaded defensive frontcourt duo in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler, but as far as the youth we are trying to develop, and some of the returning players next year (contractually speaking), we’ve really got to trim the fat & consolidate in return for some positive defenders. Out of the 8 draft picks the Jazz have selected in the previous 3 drafts, and out of the ones the Jazz have kept, I’d say that the Jazz don’t really have an impactful defensive player. Now, barring development, the hope is that Ace Bailey provides net positive value on defense, especially with him being a top 5 pick.

NBA DRAFT CONTENT SOON!

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Thomas Müller scored twice and Brian White added a goal in a 22-minute span of the first half and Yohei Takaoka finished with a second straight clean sheet in the Vancouver Whitecaps' 3-0 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday night.

Müller ignited the Whitecaps with a penalty-kick goal in the 25th minute, then made it 2-0 with a goal 12 minutes later. White capped the scoring two minutes into stoppage time with an unassisted netter. It was White's 80th career goal for Vancouver in all competitions.

Müller's PK came after Toronto's Walker Zimmerman fouled Aziel Jackson. His second goal came with assists from Mathias Laborda and Sebastian Berhalter in the 37th minute.

Takaoka finished with three saves for the Whitecaps (2-0-0) — one-week after a two-save effort led to a 1-0 victory over visiting Real Salt Lake to begin the season. Jackson scored the lone goal.

Luka Gavran saved two shots for Toronto in his 18th career start. Toronto lost 3-2 to FC Dallas in its opener, beginning with two road matches for a fourth straight season.

The Whitecaps are 5-0-4 in their last nine matchups with Toronto, which hasn't won in Vancouver since March 2017.

Up next

Vancouver: At Portland Timbers on Saturday.

Toronto: At FC Cincinnati on Sunday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

Tonight’s loss to the Lakers was a reminder, a 129-101 reminder, that the Golden State Warriors are a team that lives and dies by Stephen Curry’s presence in a way that should genuinely sober every fan trying to stay optimistic right now.

There’s no moral victory hiding in that defeat anywhere. And now look at the standings the Warriors sit at 31-29, eighth in the West, 14.5 games behind the top seed. The Suns are at 34-26, sitting comfortably at seventh. Golden State is trending in the wrong direction at the exact wrong time.

Shoutout to anyone still hanging on watching this one. The Warriors have played a variety of ugly games this season — but this one has been over since very early on. It's ugly.

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) March 1, 2026

I was at least hoping for a hard-fought game tonight. The Dubs look like they’re sleepwalking through this one. Clippers up next on Sunday. They’re coming in off three straight losses and will face Golden State at Chase Center on the back side of a B2B.

— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) March 1, 2026

March is going to decide a lot. The remaining slate is not here to show the Warriors any mercy. They open March 2nd hosting the Clippers, which is winnable, but then they head out on a road stretch that would humble a healthy team. Houston on March 5th. Oklahoma City on March 7th on national television. That’s back-to-back road games against two of the most dangerous young rosters in the Western Conference.

OKC especially cannot be taken lightly. If the Warriors are still missing pieces by then, that game in particular could get ugly in a way that makes Friday night look like a warmup.

The road-heavy March schedule is the real story here. Look at what’s coming: New York on March 15th, Boston on March 18th, a trip through Detroit and Atlanta before a stop in Dallas on March 23rd. That’s a gauntlet. AND YOU KNOW KUMINGA HAS THAT ATLANTA-GSW GAME CIRCLED. The Warriors are 19-12 at home and 12-17 on the road. Those splits are not small, nor are they something you can strategize your way around. Curry’s presence matters everywhere, but it matters especially much when the environment is hostile and the margin for error disappears.

The home games offer some relief. Chicago on March 10th, Minnesota on March 13th, Brooklyn and Washington in late March. Those are games a full Warriors roster should handle. The problem is the Warriors haven’t been a full roster consistently enough this season to bank on that assumption.

Here’s the cold math. The Warriors have 22 games left after today. They’re 14.5 out of the top spot, which at this point is just a number. What actually matters is the play-in. Eighth place is not safe. The teams behind Golden State are not going away, and the teams ahead, specifically the Suns at seventh, are not going to just roll over and give the Dubs a shot.

I’d bet the Warriors need to go somewhere in the range of 13-9 or better over this final stretch to feel genuinely secure. That’s a .590 clip from a team that’s playing .517 ball right now against a schedule that punishes road weakness, without clarity on when their full roster returns.

Can’t wait until Steph is back out there 😩 pic.twitter.com/EWDGUgxwj4

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 1, 2026

There’s a version of this where Curry comes back healthy and the Warriors rattle off wins in bunches like they have before. He has a way of making the math work that defies what the spreadsheet says. The Warriors’ swag with him on the floor is a completely different team. His presence doesn’t just change the offense, it changes the shot quality the defense surrenders, it changes how opponents have to allocate defensive attention, it changes everything.

But time doesn’t wait for anybody’s injury timeline. The calendar flips whether Curry’s knee cooperates or not.

The Knicks (38*-22) host the San Antonio Spurs (43-16) for lunch at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. This will be a significant test for New York against the Western Conference’s second seed. The Knicks have won six of their last ten games, while the Spurs have won 11 straight.

The teams met most recently on December 31, 2025, when the Spurs edged the Knicks 134-132 in Texas. Julian Champagnie beheld the face of God and dropped a career-high 36 points, setting a Spurs franchise record with 11 three-pointers. (Because, the Knicks.) Victor Wembanyama added 31 points and 13 rebounds before exiting with a leg injury. For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson scored 29 points. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson each added 20, and the team shot 42% from yard.

Prior to that, the Knicks beat the Spurs to win the NBA Cup, which is such an important achievement that it doesn’t even count in the record books. Trophies are cool, though.

The Spurs are one of the league’s most interesting stories this season—not quite as interesting as that betting ring that Chauncey Billups roped me into, but still up there. San Antonio ranks eighth in offensive rating at 118 and third in defensive rating at 111.3. They average 118.5 points per game while shooting 48% from the field, and rank 17th in three-point percentage at 35%. Their defensive rebounding and rim protection have been elite, anchored by that fine French specimen.

Wemby leads the way with 23.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game while blocking 2.8 shots. De’Aaron Fox averages 19 points and 6.2 assists, and Stephon Castle contributes 16.6 points and 6.8 assists in his second season. Devin Vassell puts up 18 PPG as a reliable perimeter scorer, and veteran Harrison Barnes provides 10.3 PPG.

The Spurs’ probable starting five, based on their most recent game, should be Wembanyama, Castle, Fox, Champagnie, and Vassell. The injury report mentions nothing of note: some guy named David Jones Garcia is out for the Spurs, while McBride remains sidelined for the Knicks.

Prediction

ESPN analytics gives New York a 52% chance to win. Kee-yah! The sizzlin’ Spurs are 22-10 on the road this season, while the Knicks are 22-8 at home. New York’s best answer to Wemby’s presence in the paint is Mitchell Robinson, presumably off the bench. A lively effort from Karl-Anthony Towns would be appreciated, too. If the home team plays defense, controls the pace, limits turnovers, and shoots wells (just basically everything), the sky’s the limit. As for today’s lunch menu, I hear the host plans to serve their guests a fresh hot L with spicy mustard. Knicks by 5.

Game Details

Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026
Time: 1 PM ET
Place: Madison Square Garden, NYC
TV: ABC
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

* Should be one more, but the Cup Final doesn’t count.

HOUSTON (AP) — Mark Delgado had a goal and an assist, Son Heung-min had two assists and Hugo Lloris posted a second straight clean sheet to help Los Angeles FC beat Houston 2-0 on Saturday night after the Dynamo lost two players to red cards.

Houston defender Antônio Carlos was tagged with a red card in the second minute of stoppage time in a scoreless first half, forcing the Dynamo to play a man down from there.

LAFC (2-0-0) took advantage in the 56th minute when Delgado used assists from Son and Denis Bouanga to score. Delgado scored for the 26th time in 345 career appearances. Bouanga's second assist in as many matches gives him 22 in 103 career appearances. None of Bouanga's 66 goals have come against Houston — the only team he has not scored on.

Stephen Eustáquio scored for the first time in his second league appearance to give LAFC an insurance goal in the 82nd minute — six minutes after Agustín Bouzat was hit with a red card that left Houston two men down. Son notched his third assist this season, giving him six in 12 career appearances. Delgado picked up his first assist this season and the 44th of his career.

Hugo Lloris totaled two saves in his second straight clean sheet to begin the season for LAFC. Lloris and LAFC opened with a 3-0 victory over defending MLS Cup champion Inter Miami at home.

Jonathan Bond stopped four shots for the Dynamo (1-1-0), who were coming off a season-opening 2-1 victory over the visiting Chicago Fire.

LAFC earns its first victory in Houston since July 12, 2019 and leads the all-time series 8-5-5. Coach Marc Dos Santos has the club off to a 4-0 start — over a 12-day span — in all competitions for the first time after posting a pair of CONCACAF Champions Cup victories over Real España by a combined score of 7-1 to reach the Round of 16.

Up next

LAFC: Hosts FC Dallas on Saturday.

Houston: At New England Revolution on Saturday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Luka Doncic had 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds, LeBron James added 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers ran away from the short-handed Golden State Warriors for a 129-101 win Saturday night.

The Warriors struggled to produce enough offensive power as Stephen Curry missed his 10th straight game for Golden State still nursing a right knee injury and newly acquired center Kristaps Porzingis sat out with an illness.

Gui Santos scored 14 points to lead the Warriors in his fifth straight double-digit game and 12th in the last 13 — and this one came after he received a multi-year contract extension earlier in the day.

Gary Payton II contributed 12 points for Golden State, his seventh game out of the last nine in double digits.

James went 7 for 13 from the floor with four 3-pointers after he shot around with 11-year-old daughter Zhuri before the game after completing his own warmup in a sweet moment.

The Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak overall and a three-game skid on the road with just their third win in the last eight — and also third in eight on the road against the Pacific Division this season.

Austin Reaves scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting for Los Angeles, Luke Kennard had 16 points with four 3s off the bench and Deandre Ayton grabbed 10 rebounds.

HORNETS 109, TRAIL BLAZERS 93

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller had 26 points and eight rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Portland Trail Blazers for their fourth consecutive victory.

Miller made six 3-pointers and the Hornets finished 16 for 42 behind the arc after totaling 72 in the previous three victories, equaling the NBA record for most in a three-game span.

Coby White added 20 points off the bench and LaMelo Ball had 15 points and eight assists. Moussa Diabate finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and five assists as Charlotte pulled within a game of .500 at 30-31.

Jrue Holiday scored 25 points and Jerami Grant had 21 for the Trail Blazers, who played without All-Star Deni Avdija for a third straight game because of a back injury.

HEAT 115, ROCKETS 105

MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Pelle Larsson scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Miami beat Houston.

Tyler Herro scored 18, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 14 and Kel’el Ware had a 13-point, 15-rebound game for the Heat. Andrew Wiggins — who needed eight stitches to close a laceration inside his mouth — had 12 points for Miami.

Kevin Durant finished with 32 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Rockets, who got 20 points from Amen Thompson and 14 from Reed Sheppard.

Both teams had double-digit leads early; the Rockets ran out to a quick 14-4 edge, the Heat answered with a 37-14 run to take a 41-28 lead. And then things settled down, with the sides staying relatively close the rest of the way.

Neither team had a double-digit lead in the second half until Larsson hit a pair of free throws with 1:52 left for a 113-103 lead.

RAPTORS 134, WIZARDS 125

WASHINGTON (AP) — Immanuel Quickley had 27 points and 11 assists to lift Toronto to a victory over Washington.

Brandon Ingram added 24 points for the Raptors, who rebounded from back-to-back home losses to Western Conference contenders Oklahoma and San Antonio earlier in the week. Toronto is in fifth place in the East, now three games clear of the play-in group.

Will Riley scored 19 points for Washington, which lost its fourth straight game after beating Indiana twice in a row coming out of the All-Star break.

The Wizards remain without newly acquired Anthony Davis (finger) and Trae Young (knee, quad), and 7-footer Alex Sarr (hamstring) didn’t play either. Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb) did not play for Toronto.

Washington led by three in the middle of the third quarter before an 11-2 Toronto run capped by Ingram’s 3-pointer. The Raptors were up 98-92 after three and pushed the lead into double digits early in the fourth.

All five Toronto starters scored at least 18 points. RJ Barrett contributed 21, and Scottie Barnes scored 18 and Jakob Poeltl had 18 with 10 rebounds.

Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George scored 14 points each for the Wizards. Washington shot 16 of 34 from 3-point range, but Toronto countered by going 42 of 63 inside the arc.

PELICANS 115, JAZZ 105

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 24 points as New Orleans won to complete a two-game sweep in Utah after Pelicans star Zion Williamson left the game with an ankle injury.

Williamson left early in the second quarter with a right ankle injury and didn’t return. He had four points, two assists and a rebound in 11 minutes.

Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said only that Williams “tweaked” his ankle. He said he would get more information and hoped it was nothing serious.

Bey, coming off a 42-point performance in Thursday’s 129-118 win of the Pelicans, shot 7 for 16 from the field and 3 for 8 from long distance, and was helped by 7-for-10 shooting from the line.

Jeremiah Fears and Bryce McGowens each scored 18 points, Herbert Jones scored 10 of his 17 points in the first half and Jordan Poole added 11. Fears chipped in 11 rebounds and five assists as New Orleans won its fourth straight and for the sixth time in eight games.

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SAN FRANCISCO — The Lakers needed Saturday night.

Even with the Warriors being without two of their best players in star guard Steph Curry and big man Kristaps Porzingis, Thursday’s gut-wrenching loss to the Suns was the latest example of why the Lakers can’t take an opponent lightly despite who it has available.

And from the start of their 129-101 blowout win over the Warriors at Chase Center, the Lakers’ business-like approach was evident. 

They were urgent.

Focused. 

Crisp.

And they were these things for nearly all of Saturday, unlike the games leading into the matchup against the Warriors.

Even after leading 65-47 at halftime, the Lakers didn’t let up, leading by as many as 32 points multiple times in the fourth quarter.

“The consistency of just playing the right way was great,” coach JJ Redick said. “I thought anytime we got a little disorganized, we were able to get back to just some go-to stuff to calm the group.”

The Lakers’ three best players set the tone. 

Luka Doncic (26 points, eight assists, six rebounds), who turned 27 years old on Saturday, and LeBron James (22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds) pressured the Warriors’ defense the entire game with their shot-making and play-making.

They combined to make eight of the Lakers’ 19 3-pointers, with the team shooting 46.3% (19 of 41) from beyond the arc.

Austin Reaves was back to being uber-efficient, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 28 minutes. 

“It was just making the right play in front of us,” Redick said. “I thought our starters really set the tone with that.”

Luke Kennard had his highest-scoring game as a Laker with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting (4 of 7 on 3s), while Jake LaRavia added 15 points (6-of-10 shooting, 3 of 6 on 3s).

What it means

The Lakers’ three-game losing streak ended, with the team avoiding a season-worst drought with the victory over the Warriors.

They moved to 35-24 to stay at least 10 games above .500. 

“We responded exactly how we were supposed to,” LaRavia said. “Anyone that talked to me and asked me a question about what the mindset was coming to this game was: win the game. At all costs, we have to come out and we just have to win and get back on the right track. And I think we did everything to make that happen.”

Turning point 

The moment the Lakers arrived at Chase Center. 

They took control of the game early, jumping to a 23-11 lead and didn’t look back. 

MVP: LeBron James

James made his first four 3s, finding a rhythm from beyond the arc that eluded him for most of February, before missing his final two.

The four-time league MVP entered Saturday shooting 21.3% (10 of 47) on 3s in February entering the matchup against the Warriors. 

“I’m comfortable in every shot I take,” James said. “I can shoot 0.0% from the 3-point line and I believe I’ll make the next one.”

Stat of the game: Seven

The biggest sign of how seriously the Lakers took Saturday’s game was the fact their Big 3 took great care of the ball. 

Doncic, James and Reaves combined for just seven turnovers, lower than the 10.4 they combined to average entering Saturday. 

James had most of those giveaways Saturday with four. 

Up next

The Lakers will fly back to Southern California on Saturday night for the second leg of their back-to-back. 

They’ll host the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night. 

Rui Hachimura’s status wasn’t known as of Saturday night, with coach JJ Redick saying pregame that the forward was still under the weather with the illness that held him out of the matchup against the Warriors for his second straight absence.