Austin Reaves made a crucial layup with just one second remaining to seal a triple-double, while LeBron James scored 31 points, helping the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Golden State Warriors 115-113 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
The Lakers lost Anthony Davis early in the game due to a twisted left ankle, but they managed to stay in control for most of the final three quarters, securing their fourth win in the last five games.
With 1:30 left, the Lakers were up 109-100, but Stephen Curry nearly turned the game around. He scored eight points in a 13-4 run, including two tough 3-pointers in the last 12.2 seconds, one of which was a game-tying 31-foot shot with 7.6 seconds remaining.
Reaves finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while James also recorded 10 assists. Curry led the game with 38 points, most of which came from eight 3-pointers, tying the NBA record for a Christmas game.
Timberwolves 105, Mavericks 99
Anthony Edwards scored 26 points, leading the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves to a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas played the second half without Luka Dončić, who left the game after suffering a left calf strain in the second quarter.
Dončić had 14 points in 16 minutes before the injury, and the Mavericks were down 51-38 at that time. After falling behind by 28 points in the third quarter, Dallas fought back in the fourth, cutting the deficit to 101-99 on a Klay Thompson 3-pointer with 1:05 left. Kyrie Irving, who scored 15 of his 39 points in the final quarter, missed a 3-pointer that could have put Dallas ahead. Edwards then scored on the next possession, extending the Timberwolves’ lead to four points.
76ers 118, Celtics 114
Tyrese Maxey had 33 points and 12 assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a win over the Boston Celtics. Joel Embiid added 27 points and nine rebounds, and Caleb Martin scored 23 points, making 7 of 9 three-pointers.
The Celtics, trailing by 15 in the fourth quarter, managed to cut the lead to 116-114 with 4.9 seconds left. However, Embiid made two free throws to seal the game for the 76ers, who have won six of their last eight games.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 32 points and 15 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown added 23 points and seven rebounds. The Celtics suffered their second consecutive loss, which was their first such streak of the season.
Knicks 117, Spurs 114
Mikal Bridges scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead the New York Knicks to a comeback victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Bridges and Victor Wembanyama combined for 26 points in a high-scoring fourth quarter, with both teams shooting over 50%. Bridges finished with a season-high 41 points, the second-most by a Knicks player on Christmas Day behind Bernard King’s 60-point performance in 1984. Wembanyama made an impressive debut on Christmas with 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks.
The Knicks won their fifth straight game, improving to 15-4 since November 15. Miles McBride made a key 3-pointer with 2:43 left, giving the Knicks the lead for good. Jeremy Sochan contributed 21 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs.
