LeBron James could do with a break, and Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham admits he fears he might be "running him into the ground".

James had 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in a 116-111 defeat to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, a third tight loss for the Lakers in their last four games.

They stand at 20-25 for the season, despite the impressive efforts of their talisman.

James has scored 30 points or more in 13 of his last 17 games, but the Lakers have only won nine of those contests.

He is taking on a heavy share of the burden in the injury-forced absence of Anthony Davis, who is expected back in action in February.

Only once in his last eight games has James spent less than 35 minutes on court, and Ham might have to do something about that.

Ham said: "I feel bad about that. He's playing at an amazing level, but we can't run him into the ground. That was one of my main goals coming into this season. Here he is with 36 and a half [minutes] again tonight.

"We just have to manage him and have clarity in terms of scaling back his minutes some. And with the non-game days, being smart. His preparation is always on point, but we can still hold him out of some things that we may do on the court.

"He's a high-IQ basketball player, so he understands he can sit there and watch something and have it all figured out defensively and offensively.

"It is a concern. My staff and I, we talk about it all the time. It's just tough because he's such a competitor. We're in these games and he wants to win and we want to win, so you kind of lose sight of the minutes until you come back and see the stats sheet after the game.

"You're like, 'Oh hell'. We're going to figure it out. We have a team of very smart people – our medical and training staff and our coaching staff.

"We all put our heads together and see what the best course of action is to give him whatever rest can be gained, not just going forward in the short term, but the long term as well."

De'Aaron Fox led the Kings with 31 points against the Lakers, and Sacramento have now won five successive games to improve to 25-18 for the season.

The Lakers will be back in action against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, with Ham looking for more from his team.

Ham said: "It sucks to lose these close games, but I still feel wholeheartedly at some point we're going to break all the way through. We're competing in my opinion at a very high level."

LaMelo Ball is confident his latest ankle injury will not keep him out long despite exiting the Charlotte Hornets' 122-117 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Ball hurt his left ankle for the third time this season in the third quarter when team-mate P.J. Washington landed on him as both jumped to block a Jabari Smith shot.

The Hornets point guard and 2020 NBA Draft third pick overall remained on the ground in pain and appeared unable to bear weight on his left leg as he was helped to the locker room. He was ruled out with a "left ankle sprain".

"I can walk and everything, so I'll just take it day by day and see what it is," Ball told reporters.

"I feel a little better. It don't feel like them other ones so I think I'll be straight."

The game was only Ball's 21st this season, enduring an interrupted campaign where he is averaging 24.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 8.4 assists.

Ball said he would not require an MRI scan while Hornets head coach Steve Clifford was a bit more circumspect.

"We'll see how he feels tomorrow and that's really it," Clifford said.

The Memphis Grizzlies' achieved a franchise record 11th straight win with Desmond Bane and Ja Morant starring in a thrilling 115-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Darius Garland had a three-point shot on the buzzer blocked by Dillon Brooks, after Steven Adams tipped in with 16 seconds left after Morant's miss.

Bane top scored for the Grizzlies with 25 points, including five-of-eight three-point shooting. Morant added 24 points with eight assists for Memphis, who improved to 31-13, along with 20-3 at home.

Morant had spent time in the locker room in the first quarter after copping a knee to his neck, but re-entered the game in the second quarter.

Game-winner Adams scored 13 points with 10 rebounds and four assists, while Jaren Jackson Jr had an excellent all-round game with 15 points, seven rebounds, two steals and four blocks.

Memphis also managed an 11th consecutive game with 115 or more points.

The Cavs were missing Donovan Mitchell due to a groin strain, with Garland top scoring with 24 points on five-of-11 three-point shooting along with 14 assists.

Caris LeVert added 23 points with four rebounds and six assists, with power forward Evan Mobley scoring 18 points and bringing down 15 rebounds with two blocks. The Cavs are now 28-18.

Trae downs Doncic as Hawks win fourth straight

The Atlanta Hawks continued their run of momentum with their fourth straight win in a 130-122 victory over Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks.

Dejounte Murray scored 30 points, making four-of-six three-pointers, while John Collins added 19 along with 18 from Trae Young plus 12 assists, as the Hawks secured a season-best four-game winning streak to move above .500 at 23-22.

Doncic, who was traded as a top-five pick for Young at the 2018 NBA Draft, scored 30 points for the Mavs, but only 11 after quarter-time, while he gave up seven turnovers.

Jokic adds another franchise record in Nuggets win

Nikola Jokic recorded his 14th triple-double of the season as he surpassed Alex English for the most assists in franchise history in the Denver Nuggets' 122-118 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The MVP candidate finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, going past English's 3,680-assist franchise record with a dime for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Jamal Murray added 28 points for the Nuggets, who secured their eighth straight win and 15th successive victory at home to remain top in the west, at 32-13.

The Memphis Grizzlies will get a chance to tie their longest winning streak in franchise history when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Monday's 30-point demolition of the Phoenix Suns extended the Grizzlies' streak to 10, and they are now one victory away from tying the 11-game streak from the 2014-15 campaign starring Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, which was matched last season.

Over their last 10 fixtures, the Grizzlies have been a juggernaut on both ends of the court, scoring 119.9 points per 100 possessions to sit third in offensive rating, while also boasting the best defense in the NBA, allowing just 106.5.

Meanwhile, the team the Grizzlies overtook to snatch top spot in the defensive rankings was the Cavaliers, who still sit second for the season.

Another key indicator for the true contenders is net rating – which measures how much better a team's offensive rating is compared to their defense – and both of these sides have excelled through the first half of the season. The Grizzlies sit second overall with a net rating of 5.8, while the Cavaliers are third at 4.7.

Two very similar teams, both the Cavaliers and the Grizzlies utilise two defensive anchors in their starting line-up, leaning away from the more prevalent "small ball" roster constructions seen around the league.

For the Grizzlies, Steven Adams is arguably the strongest rebounder in the league while Jaren Jackson Jr leads the NBA in blocks per game at 3.3. On the Cavaliers' side, All-Star Jarrett Allen and defensive prodigy Evan Mobley roam the interior.

While these sides are almost identical defensively, the way they attack on offense, particularly through their star players, could decide their fate.

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is, without a doubt, one of the best guards in league history when it comes to finishing at the rim. He is averaging five makes per game within five feet of the basket – the only guard in the league to do so – while converting at a terrific 61 per cent clip.

The problem with that is how well both of these teams protect the basket, as it creates the question of what happens when an unstoppable force – Morant – meets an immovable object – the rim protection of Allen and Mobley.

On the other hand, the combination of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell for the Cavaliers are far more malleable with the way they create their offense.

Garland excels in 'floater range' from five-to-nine feet away from the hoop, sitting 15th in the league with 1.3 makes per game at an efficient 50 per cent, while Mitchell provides the long-range assault.

Mitchell is averaging 3.1 makes per game on deep threes (greater than 25 feet), which trails only the Golden State Warriors' Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry (3.8) and Klay Thompson (3.2).

It should be a mouthwatering clash between the league's best two defensive teams, who both have all their young stars healthy and ready to go as they look to strengthen their playoff positions.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS 

Cleveland Cavaliers – Jarrett Allen

It is no secret that Morant is the driving force behind the Grizzlies' success, and for him to dominate games, he needs to control the paint.

Allen is the Cavaliers' primary rim protector and will be tasked with preventing Morant from producing more of his highlight-reel finishes, and if he can turn Morant into a jump-shooter for the night, Cleveland will consider that a massive win.

Memphis Grizzlies – Desmond Bane

Desmond Bane is the perfect counterbalance to Morant, providing the Grizzlies with a dynamic shooting threat who holds the defense's attention at all times.

Through three seasons, Bane owns a ridiculous career three-point percentage of 43.3. It is not just a strong number, it is the seventh-best career figure of all-time, and places him in the absolute top echelon of shooters in today's game.

If he can hit a couple early and force the Cavaliers' defense to divert some of their attention away from Morant, Bane could open up everything for the Grizzlies' offense.

KEY BATTLE – Can the Cavaliers figure out how to win on the road?

Heading into this contest, both the Grizzlies (19-3) and the Cavaliers (19-4) sit top-three in the NBA's best home records.

The Grizzlies will get the honour of hosting this time, leaving the Cavs as the underdogs as they try to figure out what is behind their disappointing 9-13 record away from home this campaign.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This will be the first time this season these two teams meet, although the Grizzlies have won each of the past three matchups.

The Cavaliers defeated the Grizzlies once during Morant's rookie season in 2019, but the former Rookie of the Year has not lost to them since.

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic took another step towards a third consecutive MVP after dominating the Portland Trail Blazers in a 122-113 victory on Tuesday.

Jokic was unstoppable offensively, finishing with 36 points on 13-of-14 shooting while adding 12 rebounds and 10 assists. 

In doing so, he became the first player in NBA history to record multiple 35-point triple-doubles while shooting at least 90 per cent from the field. Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player with even one such game.

Jokic was supported well by Michael Porter Jr, who scored 23 points on nine-of-13 shooting, while Jamal Murray chipped in 17 points (six-of-15), seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.

For the Blazers, it was another spectacular showing from the franchise's all-time scoring leader as Damian Lillard had a game-high 44 points on 12-of-20 shooting with eight assists.

It continued a blistering run of form for Lillard, who is averaging a league-leading 39 points per game across his past six outings, although Portland have only been able to convert his stellar play into two wins from six.

With the victory, the Nuggets are now alone atop the Western Conference with a record of 31-13, which the Memphis Grizzlies can tie if they can secure their 11th consecutive win when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Holiday delivers for the Giannis-less Bucks

Jrue Holiday has set a new season-high points total in back-to-back games after putting up 37 in the Milwaukee Bucks' 130-122 triumph at home against the Toronto Raptors.

Holiday scored a season-high 35 on Monday against the Indiana Pacers in the first leg of the Bucks' back-to-back, and he followed it up with 37 against the Raptors.

He shot 16-of-26 from the field while adding seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block, and Fred VanVleet was just as good for Toronto.

VanVleet tied his season-high by scoring 39 points on 15-of-28 shooting, with nine rebounds and seven assists.

The Bucks are now 29-16 and occupy the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Embiid bullies the Clippers

Joel Embiid was too big and too strong on his way to a game-high 41 points in the Philadelphia 76ers' 120-110 road win against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Embiid shot 12-of-22 from the field and 15-of-18 from the free throw line while adding nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a comprehensive performance.

Tobias Harris was sharp in a supporting role, snatching five steals in the first half while scoring 20 points on efficient eight-of-12 shooting.

For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard made it five consecutive games with at least 24 points and a steal as he begins to recapture his All-NBA form following a string of injuries.

Kyrie Irving missed the Brooklyn Nets' 106-98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday due to tightness in his right calf.

Irving, who has now played in 32 of the Nets' 43 games this season, is averaging 25.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and he has already eclipsed the 29 games he managed in the 2021-22 campaign.

The Nets were already without superstar Kevin Durant due to his knee injury, and were left even more shorthanded when Irving was withdrawn in the hours before tip-off against the Spurs.

In his absence, Brooklyn suffered their third loss in a row as no Nets players were able to reach 20 points.

Ben Simmons collected a triple-double with 10 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks, while T.J. Warren led the team in scoring with 19 points off the bench.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Nets center Nic Claxton became the youngest player since 22-year-old Rudy Gobert in 2015 to block at least three shots in nine consecutive games.

In comments before the game, head coach Jacque Vaughn called the injury "day to day".

"[Irving] just reported a little tightness," Vaughn said. "It's essentially just day to day. We'll check on him [Wednesday], and hopefully this is short-term."

The Nets are hopeful Irving will be able to return when they travel to take on the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

LeBron James shrugged off a pre-game tease about his age to show that it's nothing but a number as the 38-year-old dazzled for the Los Angeles Lakers.

James had 48 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in a spectacular performance for the Lakers, who beat the Houston Rockets 140-132 on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Before the game began, Houston's 19-year-old power forward Jabari Smith Jr approached LeBron and said: "Hey, you played against my dad, your first NBA game ever. Sacramento."

An amused James replied: "Why do you do that to me?"

Smith added: "You feel old, don't you?"

Smith's cheeky remarks need a little addendum, as records show his father was in fact an unused bench player in that fixture on October 29, 2003, that saw James drop a game-high 25 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Sacramento Kings to make an immediate impact on the NBA.

James and Smith senior did go head to head in the following season, though, when Smith moved on to the New Jersey Nets.

Asked after Monday's game about playing against both father and son, James laughed off Smith's reminder in an interview with NBA TV.

"Versus dad, man, versus dad! It made me feel old as c**p," James said.

"He said, 'That make you feel old?'. I said, 'Absolutely man'.

"I've had the pleasure and the opportunity to play against a couple of dad and son combinations: Gary Trent and Gary Trent Jr, Kenyon Martin and Kenyon Martin Jr, and now Jabari Smith Jr and Jabari Smith Sr.

"It's been a great ride, these 20 years that I've been able to see a lot of great players come in and come out, so it's always an honour for me."

The Lakers scored 113 points with James on the court and did not have one turnover during that time. It made James the only NBA player in the last 20 years to have his team score 100-plus points with no turnovers with him on the floor in a game.

James said the win felt "very important" as the Lakers (20-24) ended a three-game losing run, including tight defeats to the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers.

"After the Dallas game and after the Philly game last night, we just had some heartbreaking losses, and we could have found out better ways to close the game," James said.

"Tonight, we kept our composure, and even when they made a run we kept our composure and executed offensively, made some tough shots and then got some key defensive stops."

LeBron James believes Tom Brady should only play on in the NFL if his heart is still in it.

The season is over for Brady and there will be no Super Bowl for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round on Monday.

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott outshone Brady, delivering the best playoff performance of his career by completing 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards, throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another, with no turnovers.

Brady completed 35 of his personal playoff record 66 attempts for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

He will have turned 46 by the time next season begins, and this is now a time for contemplation as Brady wonders whether to extend his NFL career for a further season.

After his shock retirement U-turn last March, Brady is unlikely to have rushed whatever decision he announces this time.

"Listen man, follow your heart," said Los Angeles Lakers superstar James.

"Follow your heart and your gut is going to tell you what to do."

Brady is coming off a campaign where he set an NFL record for the most pass attempts and completions in a regular season, so he may feel there is life left in his playing career.

Speaking on NBA TV, the 38-year-old James said: "That man's been doing it for 20-plus years at such a high level.

"As always, my best wishes. He's not only my favourite quarterback but also a really good, dear friend to me, so whatever he decides to do [I support him].

"I love seeing him on the field, it gives me inspiration to keep going at my age, so we'll see what happens."

Jayson Tatum revealed it was a text from three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford that inspired him to push for 50 points during the Boston Celtics' 130-118 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

Tatum had 40 points with just over three minutes remaining in the contest, leading by seven, before he hit a pair of free throws and three triples, including the last one with 38 seconds left to eclipse the 50-point barrier.

He finished with 51 points on 15-of-23 shooting, going seven-of-12 from long range and a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line, becoming the Celtics' all-time leader in regular season 50-point games with his fifth. 

He also has two 50-point games in the playoffs, giving him seven overall – the sixth-most ever before turning 25 years old, trailing only Hall-of-Famers Wilt Chamberlain (15), Michael Jordan (10), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Barry and LeBron James (eight).

Speaking after the win, Tatum told reporters a conversation earlier in the season with Crawford was the reason he would not settle in the 40s.

"Jamal texted me after [an earlier] game and he's like, 'If you’re ever that close to 50, nobody is going to remember the time and score, they're just going to report if you got 50 or not'," Tatum said. 

"That’s what was going through my mind: Jamal telling me if you get that close to 50, go get it."

Head coach Joe Mazzulla made it clear Tatum's desire to dominate is the furthest thing from selfishness, and he is delivering within the confines of the Celtics' offensive structure.

"He makes me look like a better coach," he said. "He didn't settle for shots – he got catch-and-shoots, he got off-the-dribbles, he got layups. 

"The other piece of that is the humility of our team to really work with him to get those 51 points."

Celtics guard Derrick White added: "He wants to be great and he takes that challenge each and every night. He’s seen a lot of defense during his time in the league and he is making the right read off of that."

Tatum's ability to make plays for his team-mates has been evident, averaging 5.3 assists during his eight games since the new year began, having never previously averaged more than 4.4 assists in any of his six seasons so far.

Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 51 points to propel the Boston Celtics to a 130-118 win against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

With fellow Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown out with an injury, Tatum produced the seventh 50-point performance of his career, shooting 15-of-23 from the field, seven-of-12 from deep and 14-of-14 from the free throw line.

In doing so, Tatum set the Celtics' franchise record for most regular season 50-point games with his fifth, and also added nine rebounds and five assists, while Derrick White contributed 19 points (five-of-11 shooting) and eight assists as he filled in for Brown in the starting line-up.

Jalen McDaniels was impressive for the Hornets, scoring a season-high 26 points on nine-of-15 shooting, while LaMelo Ball was inefficient for his 25 points (eight-of-23) and six assists.

With the win, the Celtics improved their streak to seven games and their league-best record to 33-12. They also own the NBA's best road record at 16-7.

Curry heroics deliver rare road win for the Warriors

Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry put on a show in his side's 127-118 away victory against the Washington Wizards.

Trailing 106-105 with less than six minutes on the clock, Curry went on to match the Wizards the rest of the way, scoring 12 of his 41 points while the home side could only put up 12 points as a team.

He shot 12-of-28 from the field for 41 points and seven rebounds, while Jordan Poole shot 12-of-20 for 32 points and seven rebounds.

It was a rare good night away from home for the now 22-22 Warriors, who at 5-17 own the second-worst road record in the league, while their 17-5 home record is tied for the fourth-best.

Jazz rookie shines as Rudy Gobert replacement

The Utah Jazz appear to have unearthed another towering defensive presence at center as rookie Walker Kessler dominated in a 126-125 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kessler, the 22nd pick in the most recent NBA Draft, is already one of the league's best shot-blockers, sitting fourth in blocks at 2.0 per game and fourth in blocks-per-36 minutes at 3.6 per game.

It was only the ninth start from his 43 appearances this season, and he put up 20 points (nine-of-13), 21 rebounds (nine offensive), four assists and two blocks in a comprehensive performance.

LeBron James described recent refereeing of Los Angeles Lakers games as "frustrating as hell" on Monday.

James' frustration comes after back-to-back Lakers losses were decided by questionable calls in the final seconds.

In Thursday's double-overtime defeat to the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA's Last Two Minute Report revealed seven incorrect calls in the final two minutes plus the overtime periods, including what should have been a foul on James' attempted game-winner at the end of the first overtime.

That was followed by Sunday's one-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, where Russell Westbrook felt he was fouled by Joel Embiid on the final play of the game.

However, the Last Two Minute Report against the 76ers ruled that the referees got the decision correct, and after a fan on Twitter called it a "huge scandal", James retweeted it and added his own thoughts.

He wrote: "And all year they keep telling me to my face on the court, "I didn’t see it" or "It wasn’t a foul". It’s not making sense to me seriously! Frustrating as hell man! Anyways keep going squad!"

James made a similar complaint in November, referencing a lack of free throw attempts, but he has since seen that figure rise quickly.

Having never averaged fewer than 5.7 free throw attempts per game during any of his 20 seasons, James was awarded just 5.3 attempts per game in October, and 4.5 attempts per game in November. It is the same story for Westbrook, who is averaging a career-low 4.2 attempts from the line.

James was back up to 5.9 attempts per game in December, and has been back to his best since the new year began, averaging 9.0 attempts – a number he has not reached for a full season since 2009-2010 during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo remained sidelined for the Milwaukee Bucks' game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

The Greek star missed back-to-back defeats to the Miami Heat due to a sore left knee and was unable to return against the Pacers.

Milwaukee face the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, but it remains to be seen if the 28-year-old forward – who participated in the warm-up before the Pacers game – will be back in action.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said of the two-time NBA MVP's injury: "We continue to think it's kind of the stuff that he and us have dealt with, for me it's each year that I've been here.

"We don't think it's anything more than that. Him being healthy, taking care of him is always our priority. We're probably always going to err on the side of caution. We know how important he is to us."

He added: "We'll see how he responds, see how he's feeling tomorrow,"

Antetokounmpo averages 31 points, 11.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham labelled LeBron James as "phenomenal" after scoring his 38,000th NBA career point, while the four-time MVP refused to discuss the milestone after another loss.

The Lakers slumped to a 19-24 record with Sunday's 113-112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers where Russell Westbrook failed to get a clear shot or pass away on the final play.

Earlier, James made history in the first quarter by bringing up his 38,000th career point, joining only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with that milestone.

James is on track to usurp Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA record of 38,387 points next month, although he would not be drawn on that after the game.

Instead, Ham offered praise for James, who finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.

"I thought Bron was phenomenal," Ham told reporters. "Really playing downhill. Playing the right way, running off the ball.

"Really finding guys as well. I thought he was really, really good."

James' performance was his 525th career 30-point game, while he is averaging 35.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists across the past six games.

The 38-year-old was not in a reflective mood after the game, ignoring the 38,000-point milestone for concern about a disappointing loss.

"We got a stop, gave ourselves a chance to win the game and we didn't," James said about the final play.

"It's just frustrating, getting in those positions and not being able to come away with the victory."

LeBron James became the second player to 38,000 career NBA points before Russell Westbrook's failed final play as the Los Angeles Lakers lost 113-112 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

With the Sixers leading by one point, Westbrook rebounded after Joel Embiid missed a two-point shot with 16 seconds remaining, opting to advance the ball, rather than take a timeout, before failing to get a clean shot or pass away as the clock expired under defense from Embiid and Georges Niang.

The finish took some gloss off James' significant achievement, reaching the 38,000 career points mark in the first quarter, before finishing the game with 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Only one player in NBA history has more career points than James and that is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387. James is on track to surpass Abdul-Jabbar next month.

The game was tight throughout, with Embiid top scoring for the Sixers with 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field with two three-pointers. Embiid also had 11 rebounds and four assists. James Harden contributed 24 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists.

Westbrook played 34 minutes of the bench with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists but four turnovers. That marked Westbrook's 198th career triple-double.

Jokic sinks late three to clinch Nugs win

Back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic landed a step-back three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to secure the Denver Nuggets a 119-116 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Jokic finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists for his 12th triple-double of the season, with the Nugs clinching their 13th straight home win to remain top of the Western Conference.

Aaron Gordon added 25 points with eight rebounds and five assists, while Jamal Murray delivered 18 points with three three-pointers and seven assists.

Lillard leads Blazers past Mavs missing Doncic

Damian Lillard backed up with 40 points for the Portland Trail Blazers to complete a two-game back-to-back sweep of the Dallas Mavericks, 140-123.

Lillard shot 10-of-17 from the field and four-of-nine from three-point range with six assists for the Blazers, who had lost five in a row prior to the two games against Dallas.

The Mavs rested Luka Doncic after his season-low 15 points in Saturday's game, having starred in Thursday's double overtime win over the Lakers.

Julius Randle enjoyed one of his best games of the season on Sunday in the New York Knicks' 117-104 road victory against the Detroit Pistons.

Randle became the first Knicks player to score at least 40 points and grab 15 rebounds or more in the same game since Patrick Ewing in 1996.

He finished with 42 points on 15-of-24 shooting to set a new season-high, while his 15 rebounds were par for the course during his red-hot start to 2023.

Since the new year began, Randle is averaging 24.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per contest, snatching at least 15 rebounds in five of the seven games to propel the Knicks to seven wins from their past eight outings.

Speaking after the game, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau heaped praise on the man seeking to make his second All-Star team this season.

"Just great – not just the scoring, it was all around, everything," he said. "I loved how we started the game, and I thought [Randle] set the tone for us.

"In watching [the Pistons] play, getting ready to play them, I knew how well they had been playing. Sometimes that's hard to get across, but I thought Julius helped set the tone for being ready.

"Getting that lead early – we needed all of it. Whenever we needed a big bucket, [Randle] stepped up and delivered. 

"His defense – there's so many things – his rebounding is just huge. He got every big rebound down the stretch. He had tough covers, he was all over the place, on the perimeter guarding guards and everything else. I thought he was terrific."

Fellow Knicks All-Star-hopeful Jalen Brunson has also started 2023 in fine fashion, averaging 33.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds in January, but he made it clear Randle is at the centre of New York's success.

"He played great, he played how Julius plays," he said. "He was aggressive, he was dominant on both sides of the ball.

"He was focused – he's been focused for a long time – and he's taken it up a notch. We just have to keep following his lead, he's doing a great job."

With the win, the Knicks moved to 25-19, and 14-8 on the road, which is tied for the second-best record away from home this season.

Thibodeau said that is no coincidence, and it all starts on the defensive end. New York boast the NBA's third-best defense (110.1 points per 100 possessions) during away games, but are 25th (113.3) at home.

"I just think it's about going in and understanding that it starts with defense, and that's what carries you," he said. "Your defense, your rebounding and taking care of the ball – so eliminate all the ways in which you beat yourself first.

"On offense, if you're willing to share and we help create rhythm for each other, we're going to be very good offensively.

"Tonight, we made it a power game. They went small, so we rebounded the ball, got to the line, and did the things we wanted to do to control the game."

The Knicks will try to make it eight wins from nine when they host the Toronto Raptors on Monday.