Doncic recorded a seventh straight triple-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists in a 127-92 road romp over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, March 11.

He came up 3 points short of extending his NBA record streak of 30-point triple-doubles. He had broken a tie with Russell Westbrook with a sixth 30-point triple-double in a row in a 142-124 road win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, March 9.

Doncic has 17 triple-doubles for the season and trails only Domantas Sabonis (22) and Nikola Jokic (21).

His run is tied with three others for the third-longest in NBA history, trailing only Westbrook’s 11-gamer for Oklahoma City in 2019 and Wilt Chamberlain’s nine for Philadelphia in 1968.

The 25-year-old came up 2 rebounds shy of a triple-double when his 39 points and 10 assists led the Mavericks to a 132-122 win at Golden State in the clubs’ only previous meeting in December. 

Curry countered with 25 points for the Warriors.

The Western Conference playoff hopefuls will also duel twice in four days in April, once at each site.

Doncic took a crack at a seventh straight 30-point triple-double Monday before leaving the blowout for good with 6:09 remaining in the game. He missed three-point attempts that would have boosted him to 30 points in each of Dallas’ last two possessions before he was subbed out.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd had a feeling he’d have to make that tough decision eventually.

“Luka’s setting records and it becomes tough when you’re trying to win the game,” he said. 

“You’re also trying to be respectful of the situation, so to try to get him 30, because this is something that’s never been done before, also not putting him in a position to get hurt.”

The Mavericks have won three in a row after having lost five of six. They will follow the Golden State game with showdowns against two of the top teams in the West, the Thunder and the Denver Nuggets.

The Warriors avoided a three-game losing streak when they overcame the absence of Curry for the first time in five tries this season in a 112-102 road win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. The Spurs had won 126-113 at Golden State on Saturday.

Curry, who sprained his right ankle in a home loss to the Bulls on Thursday, was scheduled for a re-evaluation on Tuesday. He is expected begin practicing in the Bay Area and will join the team for Friday’s practice in Los Angeles. The Warriors visit the Lakers on Saturday.

Chris Paul, who had 24 points in the earlier loss to Dallas, was the star of Monday’s victory in San Antonio with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Afterward, the veteran praised fellow veteran Andrew Wiggins, who chipped in 16 points, for having risen to the occasion alongside his first-year teammate.

“I told Wiggs before the game: Me and him needed to be more aggressive,” Paul said. “Our team is a lot different when Steph is out here playing. When he’s out, we have to figure things out.” – Rappler.com

Leonard, 32, played all 12 minutes of the first quarter, scoring 6 points on 2-of-4 shooting to go along with 2 rebounds and 2 assists before Minnesota went on to win, 118-100 on Tuesday, March 12 (Wednesday, March 13, Manila time). 

He missed the Clippers’ 124-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, March 10, because of left groin soreness.

On the TNT broadcast, Leonard could be seen walking back to the Clippers’ locker room in the second quarter, and then leaving the locker room in street clothes.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said postgame, “He’s been dealing with [back spasms] for a couple days … Wasn’t sure if he was going to go this morning, but he came to shootaround, got some treatment, did what he had to do and tried to get on the court and play today. And it just didn’t loosen up for him.”

Asked if Leonard would travel with the team for games at Chicago on Thursday and New Orleans on Friday, Lue said, “Not sure. I hope so.”

Leonard had been listed on the injury report before the Tuesday game due to groin soreness and was questionable, but he was in the starting lineup.

The Clippers led 34-21 after one quarter and had a 22-point lead nearly seven minutes through the second quarter before the Timberwolves pulled off a 20-2 run after Leonard departed. 

Leonard is averaging 23.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists through 58 games (all starts) this season. In 12 NBA seasons, he has averaged 20.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 686 games (657 starts). 

Anthony Edwards scored 37 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 28 to lead the visiting Timberwolves, who ended a two-game skid.

Mike Conley scored 23 points, Rudy Gobert added 11 rebounds and Kyle Anderson had 10 points as the Timberwolves improved to 2-2 since Karl-Anthony Towns went down with a knee injury. 

Towns underwent surgery earlier Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. – Rappler.com

Jokic has 21 triple-doubles this season and 126 in his career.

Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. scored 19 points each for Denver, which has won nine of 10.

Toronto was already without Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl due to hand injuries and then ruled out Immanuel Quickley (hip flexor), Gary Trent Jr. (groin strain) and Chris Boucher (knee).

That gave little-used Javon Freeman-Liberty, Jontay Porter and Ochai Agbaji meaningful playing time for the Raptors on Monday.

Jontay Porter, Michael Porter Jr.’s younger brother, scored a career-high 14 points off the bench.

RJ Barrett finished with 26 points, Kelly Olynyk added 24 points, Gradey Dick scored 17 points, Bruce Brown had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Jalen McDaniels contributed 12 points for Toronto, which has lost six of its last seven.

The young Raptors took advantage of their opportunity and stunned Denver in the first half. Toronto led by two at the end of the first quarter and scored the first 11 points of the second to lead 45-32.

Jordan Nwora hit a 3-pointer to make it 56-38 with 5:55 left in the half, and the lead swelled to 22 twice, the last time on Dick’s pull-up jumper 2:22 before intermission.

The Nuggets closed the game to 68-51 at halftime on Murray’s 3-pointer.

Jokic hit a 3-pointer to open the second-half scoring but the Raptors quickly got the lead to 85-64 on Olynyk’s three-point play with 7:37 left in the third.

The Nuggets got rolling from there, ending the period on a 16-5 run to get within 98-93 heading into the fourth quarter.

Denver cut it to 103-102 on a Murray layup with 8:58 left then, after the teams traded baskets, Murray’s floater sparked an 8-0 run that gave the Nuggets a 112-107 lead with 5:35 remaining.

Barrett’s floater cut it to 121-119 with 1:23 left but Michael Porter Jr. hit a 3-pointer and Denver closed it out. – Rappler.com

Victor Wembanyama returned to action for the Spurs after missing two games with a right ankle injury and led all scorers with 27 points and 14 rebounds.

The Warriors were without Stephen Curry because of an ankle injury but didn’t need him, at least in this night against San Antonio.

The Spurs led by eight points after one quarter and by two at halftime but had no answer for a Golden State run over the final eight minutes of the third quarter.

That’s when the Warriors turned a five-point deficit into a 16-point lead, after which they cruised to the finish line and snapped a two-game losing streak.

Chris Paul hit for 19 for the Warriors while Andrew Wiggins had 16, Brandin Podziemski scored 14 and Trayce Jackson-Davis racked up 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Golden State avenged a 126-113 loss at home on Saturday. The Warriors have won five straight games against the Spurs in the Alamo City and six of their past seven between the teams.

Devin Vassell hit for 17 points for San Antonio, with Keldon Johnson scoring 16 and Zach Collins adding 10.

The Spurs established themselves early on, breaking away from a two-point deficit in the opening minutes to go up by 11 points after Johnson’s 3-pointer with 37.4 seconds to play in the first quarter before settling for a 37-29 lead after 12 minutes of play.

Golden State rallied to tie the game at 43 on Kuminga’s 3-pointer at the 8:15 mark of the second quarter.

The Warriors went back in front by a point on a jumper from beyond the arc by Thompson with 6:57 to play in the period before San Antonio retook a 57-53 lead on Tre Jones’ driving layup three minutes later. The Spurs led 60-58 at the break.

Thompson led all scorers with 12 points before halftime, with Paul adding 11 and Wiggins contributing 10 points for the Warriors. Wembanyama and Collins paced San Antonio with 10 points each.

San Antonio led 72-67 after Jones’ layup with 8:02 to play in the third quarter before the Warriors took charge in a major way to build a 90-74 advantage. – Rappler.com

Per the NBA, the fine “takes into account Gobert’s past instances of conduct detrimental to the NBA with regard to publicly criticizing the officiating.”

Gobert was called for his sixth foul during the waning moments of regulation in Minnesota’s 113-104 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

After unsuccessfully pleading his case, Gobert made the “money gesture” in which he rubbed his fingers together, implying the officials were on the take – resulting in a technical foul.

“I’ll bite the bullet again,” Gobert told reporters after the game. “I’ll be the bad guy. I’ll take the fine, but I think it’s hurting our game. I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn’t feel that way.”

Gobert, 31, acknowledged after the game that he should have kept his composure.

“My reaction, which I think is truth – it’s what I truly believe – even if it’s the truth, it wasn’t the time for me to react that way,” Gobert said.

“I should have not done that. I cost my team the game, and obviously, they couldn’t wait to give me a tech. That was bad. That was an immature reaction.” – Rappler.com

Buddy Hield sank four three-pointers to highlight his 16-point performance off the bench. He also had 7 rebounds before sustaining an injury to his right leg in the fourth quarter.

Paul Reed scored 13 points and Tobias Harris recorded 11 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers, who snapped a three-game skid by defeating the Knicks for the first time in three tries this season. The teams reconvene in New York on Tuesday.

Philadelphia’s point total was the fewest in a win by an NBA team this season. The Los Angeles Clippers previously held that distinction with an 89-88 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 3.

New York shot just 32.5% from the floor and 22.5% (9 of 40) from three-point range and had 21 turnovers to finish with the NBA’s lowest point total for a game this season. The Knicks were on the positive end of the previous season-low point total in their 98-74 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Jalen Brunson contributed 19 points and 8 assists and Donte DiVincenzo added 15 points and 9 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost nine of their last 13 games.

Brunson scored 8 straight points for New York early in the third quarter and added a mid-range jumper to forge a tie at 47 with 5:09 remaining. Hield, however, drained a trio of three-pointers to cap Philadelphia’s 23-14 run that spanned into the early fourth quarter.

Tempers flared as Oubre used his leg to push DiVincenzo to the floor after a missed layup. Order was restored and Reed made a three-pointer and a reverse layup to give Philadelphia a 75-66 lead with 3:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. Josh Hart drained a three-pointer to cut the 76ers’ lead to 4 at 75-71 before Kyle Lowry answered with one of his own.

The 76ers seized a 37-31 lead at halftime despite shooting just 34.1% from the floor and making just 3 of 15 attempts from three-point range. The Knicks, in turn, made 30% of their shots and 5 of 23 attempts from three-point range while committing 14 turnovers. – Rappler.com

Austin Reaves scored 19 points, Rui Hachimura had 15, and D’Angelo Russell added 13 as the Lakers improved to 5-2 since February 28.

Davis added 5 assists, 7 steals and 3 blocks to become the first player in NBA history with at least 25 points, 25 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks in a game.

James added 9 assists and 8 rebounds in 38 minutes after he missed Friday’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks due to a left ankle injury.

Naz Reid and Anthony Edwards each scored 25 points for the Timberwolves, who were without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) for a third consecutive game. Minnesota was also missing big man Rudy Gobert (hamstring) and Kyle Anderson (shoulder).

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 15 points and Jordan McLaughlin added 12 for Minnesota, which fell to 2-4 since the start of March after it went 8-3 in February.

The Lakers shot 66.7% from the floor in the first half but led just 69-68 at the break, in part due to 11 turnovers that the Timberwolves turned into 14 points.

Los Angeles stormed out to an 83-70 lead with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter before Minnesota fashioned a 15-1 run to go up by one at 85-84. The Timberwolves led 92-91 heading into the fourth quarter following a Luka Garza floater at the buzzer.

The Lakers took control with a 21-4 run to open the fourth, taking a 112-96 lead with 5:57 remaining after a 3-pointer from Reaves. The Wolves missed their first nine shots from the floor in the final period.

The Lakers shot 53% from the floor for the game and were 10 of 24 (41.7%) from three-point range while winning the rebounding battle 56-38. The Wolves shot 42.3% overall and were 16-for-46 (34.8%) from deep.

Los Angeles won despite committing 21 turnovers. – Rappler.com

Doncic piled up 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He surpassed Russell Westbrook, who recorded five straight 30-point triple-doubles in 2017.

Heading into the game, Doncic averaged a league-high 34.6 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.0 rebounds.

“I’ve always said we can’t take that young man for granted,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “You’re seeing something as rare as a Picasso.”

Kyrie Irving had 21 points and Daniel Gafford supplied 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Tim Hardaway Jr. also scored 17 points for the Mavs.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. Simone Fontecchio had 27 points, James Wiseman notched 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Jaden Ivey contributed 17 points and 6 rebounds.

Detroit center Jalen Duren was ejected with 7:03 left for picking up two technicals after an altercation with the Mavericks’ PJ Washington.

Pistons rookie forward Ausar Thompson missed the second half due to an illness.

Doncic and Cunningham put on an offensive show in the first half as the Mavericks grabbed a 69-65 halftime advantage.

The Mavs superstar racked up 26 points and 6 assists, while Cunningham notched 24 points and 4 assists.

Doncic scored 18 points in the last seven minutes of the half. During that same stretch, Cunningham had 12 points and 2 assists.

Dallas opened the second half with a 14-6 run, including 6 points from Doncic, to stretch its lead to double digits.

Irving made three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give his team an 89-76 lead. After the Pistons pulled within 7 points, the Mavericks went on an 11-2 run in the final three minutes of the quarter. Hardaway scored 9 of those points on a trio of three-pointers.

Dallas also scored the first 7 points of the fourth quarter to make it 111-88. Gafford dunked off a Hardaway feed to finish that spurt.

The altercation started after Duren fell over Gafford after Gafford was fouled by Ivey. Washington and Duren then exchanged shoves as players raced toward the scrum. 

Washington was assessed one technical while Duren was tossed.

Doncic came out after he grabbed his 10th rebound with 3:14 left.

– Rappler.com

Anthony Davis scored 22 points with 13 rebounds and Austin Reaves added 18 points as the Lakers improved to 4-2 since February 28. 

Russell tied a career high with 9 three-pointers on 12 attempts.

The Lakers won without LeBron James after he aggravated a left ankle injury during a loss Wednesday, March 6, against the Sacramento Kings. Los Angeles is 5-4 in games that James has missed this season.

Rui Hachimura scored 12 points for Los Angeles and Spencer Dinwiddie had just 5 points but blocked a potential go-ahead shot from the Bucks’ Damian Lillard just before the buzzer.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points with 14 rebounds and 12 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season but the Bucks lost their second consecutive game after a six-game winning streak.

Lillard scored 28 points with 12 assists, Pat Connaughton scored 17 points and Malik Beasley and Bobby Portis each had 14 as the Bucks fell to 0-2 on a four-game California road trip.

The Lakers trailed the entire first quarter before moving in front 67-63 at halftime behind 16 points from Russell and 14 from Davis. Antetokounmpo had 16 for the Bucks. Los Angeles controlled the third quarter, leading by as many as 9 points and taking a 96-90 lead into the final period.

The Bucks pulled even for the first time in the second half at 103-103 with 7:16 remaining in the game on a reverse layup from Lillard. 

Los Angeles moved back in front 108-103 with 5:32 remaining on 5 consecutive points from Russell, including his eighth three-pointer.

Milwaukee’s first lead of the second half came on a short jumper from Antetokounmpo for a 111-110 advantage with 2:53 remaining. 

A Connaughton three-pointer and a four-point play from Lillard put the Bucks up 118-112 with 1:54 left to cap a 13-2 run.

A Russell three-point play brought the Lakers within 122-121 with 39.4 seconds remaining. – Rappler.com

Doncic – who tied Russell Westbrook’s NBA record with his fifth consecutive game posting a 30-plus-point triple-double – assisted Dante Exum on a go-ahead three-pointer with 3:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Doncic knocked down a three-pointer of his own on the following possession, his last triple on a 7-of-13 night from beyond the arc.

After Terry Rozier answered with a 3-pointer that pulled Miami to within two, Dereck Lively II found Kyrie Irving off of an offensive rebound for a third consecutive Mavericks 3-pointer.

Irving’s shot completed a 23-point performance and effectively put away the game for Dallas, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Mavericks overcame a slow start, falling behind by 15 points in the first quarter. Dallas chipped away from the initial deficit to lead by as many as 11 late in the third quarter.

The Heat rallied in the final period behind Rozier, who scored eight of his team-high 27 points and passed three of his 11 assists in the quarter.

Rozier was one of six Miami scorers with at least 13 points. 

Duncan Robinson matched Rozier’s 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the three-point arc and shot 7-of-10 from the floor overall en route to 19 points.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. shot 3-of-4 from long distance for 13 points off the bench, and Caleb Martin added another 13 in a reserve role. 

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, both averaging more than 20 points per game, each scored 14.

Exum scored 13 points in just 17 minutes off the bench, shooting 3-of-5 from the floor, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 5-of-5 at the free throw line. 

Daniel Gafford shot 5-of-5 from the field for 12 points, PJ Washington scored 10 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 11 points off the bench. – Rappler.com