NBA: Harden becomes the ninth all-time leading scorer in history

The Clippers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 117-109 in a game in which James Harden climbed to ninth place on the NBA's all-time leading scorers list. Their neighbors, the Lakers, however, crashed out against the Kings despite Luka Doncic's 42 points.

The Beard, 36, scored 32 points to surpass the career mark of 28,596 mark set during the career of the giant Shaquille O'Neal, winner of three rings with the Lakers and one with the Miami Heat.

"For me, being from Los Angeles, Shaquille O'Neal is someone I literally grew up watching," Harden acknowledged him in remarks picked up by AFP after the game. "He was the most dominant center in the history of the game. It's a real honor."

It was enough for the Clippers with another great performance from their franchise player, Kawhi Leonard, who reached 35 points, to put them just one win away from the playoff spot after a bleak start.

Kings get revenge for Doncic, Lakers for Schroder

Lakers and Kings were reunited Monday after the incident involving Doncic and Germany's Dennis Schröder in the previous Dec. 28 clash. Schröder received a three-game suspension for attempting to assault Doncic, who taunted him several times on the court after the game ended in a win for Los Angeles.

Without the German point guard, the Kings hit back at the Lakers, handing them their third consecutive loss on Monday. Doncic put up a dominant line with 42 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks; but the only teammate who seconded him was LeBron James, with 22 points.

The team coached by JJ Redick still hasn't solved its serious outside shooting problems, scoring just 8 of 36 three-pointers attempted (22%), while the Kings subjected them to a bombardment from the three-point line.

Shooting guard Malik Monk scored 26 points and seven three-pointers off the bench while veteran DeMar DeRozan hit 32. The Lakers are in fifth place in the Western Conference with 23 wins and 14 losses.

Last in the division (10-30), the Kings have injected a measure of optimism into their fan base after they pulled off another upset win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

Raptors tribute to Lowry

In Toronto, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Raptors 115-102 on a night when Canadian fans paid tribute to their longtime idol Kyle Lowry. Despite the fact that defeat was already assured, the stands rose to their feet shortly before the end to give the veteran point guard, now in Philadelphia, a rousing ovation in the likely last game of his career in Toronto.

Lowry, 39, is one of the greatest players in Raptors history, whom he led on the court between 2012 and 2021, a period in which Toronto won the only ring in its history in 2019.

Nick Nurse, the coach who led Toronto to that title and now at the helm of Philadelphia, gave Lowry the last two minutes of play in just the fifth game he's played in this season.

"It was unbelievable. He earned all of this," said Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia's leading scorer with 33 points, of the tribute to his teammate. "He led this franchise to a championship but what he did for the franchise is even bigger."