Lakers beat Spurs with another LeBron triple double as Cavaliers remain undefeated

Opening their NBA Cup title defense, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 120-115 on Friday, thanks to LeBron James' fourth consecutive triple-double—a new record in his legendary career.

The 12 games played on Friday counted for both the first round of the NBA Cup and part of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to dominate, remaining undefeated with 14 victories.

In San Antonio, LeBron James emerged victorious in the highly anticipated generational showdown against French star Victor Wembanyama. 

At 39 years old, "King James" recorded 15 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists, extending his streak to four consecutive triple-doubles, marking the first time in his 22-year NBA career he has achieved this feat. 

Anthony Davis shouldered the offensive load once again, extending his strong start to the season with 40 points and 12 rebounds.

The center, second-leading scorer behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), also had to battle on defense against Wembanyama.

The young star, who scored 50 points against the Wizards on Wednesday, finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

In the same game, veteran Chris Paul became the third player in history to reach 12,000 assists.

The 39-year-old point guard now trails only the retired John Stockton (15,806 assists) and Jason Kidd (12,091) on the all-time assists list. 

The Lakers had to withstand a late push from the Spurs, who took a 113-111 lead with two minutes remaining.

Austin Reaves hit a clutch three-pointer, and LeBron added four late points to seal the win for the Lakers, the franchise that claimed the inaugural NBA Cup last year.

Cleveland cruised to a 144-126 victory over the Chicago Bulls, becoming the sixth team in NBA history to start the season with 14 straight wins.

Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland led the Cavaliers in offense, scoring 37 and 29 points, respectively. 

Harden catches up to Ray Allen

In another milestone on the night, James Harden tied Ray Allen as the second-highest three-point shooter in NBA history, both with 2,973 career triples.

"The Beard" scored three three-pointers and 21 points in the Los Angeles Clippers' 125-104 loss to the Houston Rockets, the franchise where he played for nine seasons (2013-2021).

Harden, 35, and the now-retired Allen trail only Warriors star Stephen Curry, who leads this ranking with 3,782 three-pointers.

In a thrilling New York game, the Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-122, thanks to a clutch three-pointer from point guard Jalen Brunson (37 points) with six seconds left.

For the Nets, coached by Spaniard Jordi Fernández, shooting guard Cam Thomas scored 43 points.

60 points from Fox

The Philadelphia 76ers' struggles continued as they fell 98-86 to the Orlando Magic, despite the presence of Joel Embiid.

Embiid, who made his season debut on Tuesday in the NBA Cup opener, recorded 20 points and eight rebounds but shot a mediocre 5-15 (33.3%) from the field, while Paul George scored 13 points.

The Miami Heat lost 124-111 to the Indiana Pacers, despite 10 points, three rebounds, and five assists from Jaime Jaquez Jr.

In the final game of the night, point guard De'Aaron Fox erupted for 60 points, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Sacramento Kings from falling 130-126 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime.

Fox, whose previous best was 44 points, broke the scoring record for a Kings player.