Daniss Jenkins on Monday scored a career-high 30 points as the Detroit Pistons halted the Los Angeles Lakers’ nine-game winning streak with a 113-110 victory.
A heavyweight showdown between Eastern Conference leaders Detroit and the in-form Lakers did not disappoint, with Los Angeles recovering from a 16-point deficit in the second half to take the game to the wire.
Austin Reaves put the Lakers 110-109 ahead with 30 seconds remaining with a floating jump shot, but Jenkins scored Detroit’s final four points for a hard-earned win.
Photo: AP
Luka Doncic, who finished with 32 points, launched a last-gasp three-point attempt that could have forced overtime, but his effort fell short.
Detroit lined up again without star point guard Cade Cunningham, absent indefinitely after suffering a collapsed lung.
In Cunningham’s absence, Jenkins stepped up to lead the Pistons, while Jalen Duren added 20 points with 11 rebounds and Duncan Robinson 12 points.
“I’m no longer surprised,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Jenkins. “When he’s gotten the opportunity he’s delivered for us. Whether it’s throughout the game or in clutch moments, he finds a way to impact winning. He deserves a lot of credit tonight.”
The Lakers are to wrap up a six-game road trip against the lowly Indiana Pacers today before returning to California.
Doncic’s 32 points were complemented by 24 from Reaves. LeBron James narrowly missed out on a triple-double, scoring 12 points, with 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Detroit improved to 52-19 to extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to five games clear of the Boston Celtics (47-24).
The Lakers fell to 46-26 and remain third in the Western Conference with a two-game cushion over fourth-placed Houston.
Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder made it 12 wins in a row with a 123-103 blowout over the Philadelphia 76ers on the road.
The depleted Sixers were never in contention against the Western Conference leaders, who led by double digits from early in the second quarter.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points on a night when six Thunder players finished in double figures.
The win kept Oklahoma City three games clear of the chasing San Antonio Spurs with a 57-19 record.
San Antonio stayed in touch at the top of the West with a 136-111 drubbing of the Miami Heat in Florida.
Victor Wembanyama’s 26 points led the Spurs scoring, with Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson each scoring 21 points off the bench.
In other games, the Pacers pipped the Magic 128-126, the Clippers crushed the Bucks 129-96, the Bulls downed the Rockets 132-124, the Hawks mauled the Grizzlies 146-107, the Raptors silenced the Jazz 143-127, the Trail Blazers trounced the Nets 134-99 and the Warriors mastered the Mavericks 137-131.
Additional reporting by staff writer
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS