LeBron James has totalled 30 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112-104 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.
The Lakers, one of the best road teams in the league this season, won for the 13th time in 16 games away from Los Angeles and prevailed for the eighth time in their past nine games overall.
Playing without Anthony Davis, who is expected to miss multiple weeks after straining his right achilles, the Lakers trailed 81-77 with 1:56 left in the third quarter.
James sparked a 26-8 surge that helped the Lakers open up a 14-point lead in the final quarter and eventually hold on for the victory.
James Harden scored 38 points, Joe Harris added 22 and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 24-point deficit to stun the Phoenix Suns 128-124.
The Nets were playing without two of their three main stars, but Harden was more than up for the challenge against the Suns.
Kevin Durant was out with a hamstring injury while Kyrie Irving was held out with lower back tightness.
Harden’s 3-pointer from a few feet beyond the arc with 31 seconds left gave the Nets their first lead of the game at 126-124 and he hit two more free throws with 11.3 seconds remaining to polish off the win.
The 21-point, second-half comeback was the largest for the Nets since they joined the NBA in the 1976-77 season.
Fred VanVleet scored 33 points and added seven assists as the visiting Toronto Raptors defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 124-113 in the opener of a two-game set.
The Raptors, who had lost two in a row, handed the Bucks their fourth straight loss.
Kyle Lowry scored 18 points for Toronto before leaving the game because of a left ankle injury with 8:42 to play in the third quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out eight assists and logged five steals for Milwaukee.