Mavs relive Finals nightmare against Celtics, Warriors lose to Lakers
The Boston Celtics, the current NBA champions, cruised past the Dallas Mavericks, while the Houston Rockets staged a comeback to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers triumphed over the San Antonio Spurs.
![El escolta de los Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) defiende ante el alero de Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (23) durante el cuarto cuarto en el Chase Center](https://imagenes.voz.us/files/image_media_main_mobile/uploads/2025/01/26/67960a6683849.jpeg)
LeBron James in front of Stephen Curry at the Chase Center.
The Dallas Mavericks missed an opportunity for a rematch against the Boston Celtics, who once again replicated last year’s Finals outcome, winning 122-107.
Jayson Tatum scored 24 points for the defending champions, Derrick White added 23 and Jaylen Brown finished with 22, getting the team back to its winning ways after losing by 21 points to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although down by 10 in the first quarter, the Celtics prevailed. Their five starters, each scored in the double digits.
The Mavs again felt the absence of their star, Luka Doncic. They've had an uphill battle since Doncic suffered a calf injury on Christmas Day and lost center Dereck Lively II to a broken ankle this week.
Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 18 points for the Celtics, said such performances are crucial as the team tries to find the consistency needed to repeat as champions. "We were a lion last season and some games this year, we've looked like a house cat," Porzingis said.
Kyrie Irving led the Mavs with 22 points, while sharpshooter Klay Thompson scored just six points on four attempts.
Houston repeats feat against the Cavs
In Cleveland, the Rockets let a 19-point second-half lead slip away but held on to beat the Cavaliers 135-131.
Houston's second win in four days over the Cavs left the Eastern Conference leaders trailing Western Conference leader Oklahoma City in the race for the league's best record.
Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green scored 26 points apiece and Amen Thompson had a triple-double of 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for the Rockets, who went into the final quarter with a 17-point lead. The Cavaliers, however, managed to rally, tying the game with 1:51 to go.
Sengun’s free throw put the Rockets back in the lead. Thompson made a dunk after a rebound off of Sengun’s miss. With less than a minute to go, Houston managed to hold on to its lead.
Darius Garland scored 39 points and Donovan Mitchell scored 33 for Cleveland. However, the Cavs lost three straight games for the first time this season.
Victory for the Lakers and Timberwolves
In San Francisco, Anthony Davis scored 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while LeBron James added 15 points and 12 assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 118-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 20 points, while Stephen Curry was held to 13 points and went scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting in the second half.
In Minnesota, Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and dished out nine assists to lead the Timberwolves to a 133-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets, the team Minnesota defeated in the Western Conference semifinals last season.
Edwards made three 3-pointers, including one from the center court, to run his tally to 976 and surpass former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns as the leading scorer in Timberwolves history.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 25 points. NBA’s Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic added 20 points and 11 assists but with only three rebounds his streak of consecutive triple-doubles was down to five.
Pacers outplay Spurs
Saturday's tightly-contested game began in Paris, where Tyrese Haliburton's hot shooting led the Indiana Pacers to a 136-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs and their French star Victor Wembanyama.
At Bercy Arena, where he won the Olympic gold medal for the United States last year, Haliburton scored 16 points in the third quarter and totaled 28 points.
Harrison Barnes led the Spurs with 25 points, while Wembanyama added 20, but San Antonio couldn’t replicate its 140-110 win over Indiana from Thursday in the French capital.
However, Wembanyama's return to Paris confirmed his star status at 21, as he crashed a Champions League soccer game and an LVMH fashion show, and inaugurated basketball courts for delighted schoolchildren.
"I did my best to make this week special for my team, for my family, my friends but people still found ways to surprise me, to make things feel like it mattered for them and I mattered for them," Wembanyama said. "It's priceless."
Other results of the day
- Heat 106 - 97 Nets
- Magic 121 - 113 Pistons
- Knicks 143 - 120 Kings
- Grizzlies 125 - 103 Jazz
- Clippers 127 - 117 Bucks
- Clippers 127 - 117 Bucks
- Hornets 123 - 92 Pelicans
- Raptors 117 - 94 Hawks
- 76ers 109 - 97 Bulls
- Suns 119 - 109 Wizards
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