NBA: Doncic snaps Knicks' hot streak, leads Lakers to victory

Luka Doncic led Los Angeles Lakers in a 110-97 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday, taking over for the team in the absence of LeBron James and ending the visiting side's winning streak in the NBA.

Here are the highlights of the day in the basketball league.

Doncic put on the fatigues

The Slovenian star hit five three-pointers and converted 11 of his 25 shots from the field, leading the Lakers to a win they controlled from start to finish at home, with both offensive and defensive solidity against a Knicks team that is averaging 117 points per game this season.

The Los Angeles Angels faced the game without their point guard, LeBron James, ruled out with a left elbow contusion after a hard fall in Thursday's loss to Denver.

Still, Doncic and Austin Reaves shouldered the offensive load, combining for 60 points and keeping the Knicks in check throughout the game.

Los Angeles coach J.J. Redick stressed that the collective effort was the key to slowing down the opposing offense and securing the win.

"We always have three defensive keys and three offensive keys," he explained. "Tonight there was only one: a collective effort. We maintained it throughout the game, not just at times. We knew it would be a tough, hard-fought game that we had to win from effort, and we did."

For the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns was the top scorer with 25 points, followed by Jalen Brunson with 24. With this result, the Lakers improve their record to 39-25 and consolidate fifth place in the Western Conference, 10.5 games behind the leader Oklahoma City, which later faces the Houston Rockets.

Tatum makes a comeback

Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum continued to shine in his successful return from nearly 10 months out with injury, pouring in 20 points in the Boston Celtics 109-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jaylen Brown was Boston's leading scorer with 23 points, and five players on the team closed the game in double figures, allowing the Celtics to improve their record to 43-21 and stay close behind the East-leading Detroit Pistons.

"I think we did a great job," said Tatum, who returned to the lineup Friday after nearly 300 days out because of a torn right Achilles tendon.

"I can't express how happy I am to be here playing, with the team, with the guys, competing, making plays, making mistakes ... just happy to be here."

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland's offense with 30 points, though the Cavaliers remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 39-25 record.

Wemby maintains his great momentum

After tears of joy on Friday for his spectacular comeback against Los Angeles Clippers, Victor Wembanyama again showed intensity and emotion with another dominant performance against the Houston Rockets, whom the Spurs defeated 145-120 at Frost Bank Center.

"Wemby," the game's leading scorer, recorded 29 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 blocks, starting the night with a long-range three-pointer that had the crowd erupting.

The 22-year-old Frenchman outplayed every defender who tagged him - Alperen Sengun, Clint Capela, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard - one-on-one, imposing himself on offense and controlling the paint.

"It's been fun. Teams have a hard time adjusting to us. We're in a good dynamic and we're all confident in what we're doing," Wembanyama said.

The Spurs, also powered by De'Aaron Fox with 20 points and 10 assists, added their fourth straight win to clinch second place in the West with a 47-17 record, while the Rockets fall to fourth place with a 39-24 mark.

Detroit is not getting back on its feet

Leading the East, the Detroit Pistons conceded their fourth consecutive loss -something unheard of so far this season - by falling 121-110 to the Miami Heat, who set the pace from the start and did not allow the visitors to react.

Miami's center, Bam Adebayo, was decisive with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, in addition to reaching the 10,000-point mark in his career.

In Detroit, Cade Cunningham shined with 26 points and 10 assists, but his performance was not enough to reverse the score, as the Pistons fell behind at the close of the first quarter and failed to stop the thrust of the home team.