LOS ANGELES: Luka Doncic produced another dazzling performance as the Dallas Mavericks brought LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers back down to earth with a 127-125 victory on Tuesday.
Doncic rattled off his eighth straight 30-point game to finish with 33 points, 17 assists and six rebounds in a thrilling back-and-forth duel with the Lakers, who were playing their first game since winning the inaugural in-season tournament on Saturday.
An absorbing contest at Dallas’s American Airlines Center home saw the lead change hands eight times, with the Lakers overturning a 15-point deficit with a huge third quarter to help open up a four-point lead early in the fourth.
But Dallas’s Dante Exum took over with a superb display in the final period that saw him rattle in 17 points — including five three-pointers — to carry the Mavs to victory.