Luka Triple-Double Leads Lakers over Mavericks, Cavaliers Blow Out Magic in Orlando, Grizzlies Sneak By Suns in Overtime

There were seven games on the NBA slate on Tuesday night, headlined by Luka Doncic getting a win against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeating the Orlando Magic in dominating fashion on the road, and the Memphis Grizzlies winning an overtime thriller against the Phoenix Suns. 

In Los Angeles, Doncic registered 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists (6-for-17), while LeBron James put up a team-high 27 points with 12 rebounds on 11-for-17 shooting in the Lakers’ 107-99 win. Austin Reaves contributed 20 points on 5-for-12 shooting. 

Kyrie Irving (35 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 12-for-27, 5-for-11 from downtown) led the Mavericks while Klay Thompson followed with 22 points on 5-for-10 from 3-point range. 

The Lakers, 35-21 on the season, led by eight at halftime, with the Mavericks (31-28) closing the gap to one at 78-77 heading into the fourth. Both teams traded buckets down the stretch, with Thompson, James, and Naji Marshall alternating triples on consecutive possessions. Irving was big down the stretch too, with eight points in the final four minutes. A Max Christie misfire from downtown early in the shot clock with 1:49 to go (the Mavericks trailed 102-96) allowed the Lakers to stretch their lead after Hachimura made a free-throw and scored on a layup. 

The Cavaliers, 48-10 and atop the league standings, completed a 122-82 decimation of the Magic (29-31). The Cavaliers led 34-16 after one quarter, and scored 35 points in the third quarter and 30 in the fourth on their way to the victory. 

Ty Jerome scored a team-high 20 points off the bench (7-for-12, 4-for-6 from deep) while Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and De’Andre Hunter all scored 17 apiece. The Cavaliers shot 56 percent (59 percent from downtown), and outrebounded the Magic 47-35. The Magic were led in the game by Paolo Banchero’s 26 points (9-for-22), while Franz Wagner was 9-for-21 for 19 points. The pair was just a combined 2-for-10 from downtown though, as Banchero was 1-for-7. 

The 40-point loss marked the fifth-largest margin of defeat in Magic franchise history. Three times in their history they have lost a game by 42 points. They lost to the Golden State Warriors by 43 points on November 16, 2002, and on April 3, 2021, the Magic lost 137-91 to the Utah Jazz, and lost 122-75 against the Chicago Bulls on April 10, 2017. Tuesday’s game was the second worst home loss in franchise history (150-108 to the Brooklyn Nets on March 5, 2022). 

In Memphis, Ja Morant’s jumper with 1.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter sent their contest with the Phoenix Suns into overtime, where the Grizzlies prevailed 151-148. Morant scored a game-high 29 points (with 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals) but shot just 7-for-25 from the field and 1-for-12 from deep. He did however make 14 of 14 free throws. Jaren Jackson Jr. (28 points, 6 rebounds) was 11-for-13 from the field, and Desmond Bane scored 25 points (9 assists, 8-for-15 shooting). The Grizzlies got to the line 30 times, making 27. 

Leading the Suns was Devin Booker’s 28 points and 10 assists (12-for-20 shooting), while Kevin Durant was 8-for-19 shooting with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists. Bradley Beal put up 24 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds (9-for-20) while Bol Bol scored 23 with 8 rebounds and 2 blocks on 8-for-11. Grayson Allen was 6-for-9 from deep with 21 points off the bench. The Suns made 21 of 37 triples and shot 54 percent. 

At 38-20, the Grizzlies are second in the Western Conference, tied in the win-loss column with the Denver Nuggets. The Suns, meanwhile, are 27-31, 2.5 games out of the 10th spot. 

Around the League 

Celtics 111 (42-16) 

Raptors 101 (18-40) 

Brown: 24 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST (10-for-18 FG) 

White: 22 PTS (6-for-11 3PT) 

Tatum: 19 PTS, 11 AST, 6 REB (7-for-18 FG, 3-for-12 3PT) 

Barrett: 22 PTS, 8 REB (10-for-16 FG) 

Barnes: 21 PTS, 6 AST (7-for-14 FG) 

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Rockets 100 (36-22) 

Bucks 97 (32-25) 

Green: 25 PTS, 8 REB (9-for-20 FG, 5-for-11 3PT)

Sengun: 23 PTS, 11 REB (8-for-16 FG) 

Brooks: 16 PTS, 8 REB (4-for-8 3PT) 

Antetokoumpo: 27 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST (9-for-17 FG, 9-for-12 FT) 

Lillard: 22 PTS (7-for-22 FG)

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Pelicans 109 (15-43)

Spurs 103 (24-32)

Murphy III: 24 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST (9-for-21 FG) 

Williamson: 18 PTS, 6 REB (8-for-15 FG) 

Vassell: 20 PTS (6-for-16 FG) Fox: 15 PTS, 9 AST, 6 STL (6-for-21 FG) 

Paul: 12 PTS, 10 AST (4-for-7 FG) 

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Warriors 128 (31-27)

Hornets 92 (14-43) 

Hield: 16 PTS (4-for-9 3PT) 

Curry: 15 PTS, 6 AST (6-for-14 FG, 2-for-9 3PT) 

Green: 15 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST (6-for-12 FG) 

KJ Simpson: 16 PTS, 6 REB (7-for-18 FG) 

Seth Curry: 14 PTS (4-for-6 3PT) 

Williams: 12 PTS, 12 REB (6-for-12 FG) 

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