NBA round-up: Luka Doncic impressive on return from injury but Los Angeles Lakers beat Dallas Mavericks

An impressive return by Luka Doncic could not stop the Dallas Mavericks losing 127-110 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Slovenian had missed three games because of a sprained ankle but came back into the side with 33 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists - statistics which far outperformed any of his team-mates.

The Lakers put in a better all-round performance, with D’Angelo Russell (29), Anthony Davis (28) and LeBron James (25) all chipping in with 25 points or more. They were never seriously troubled by the Mavs on the scoreboard, having led by 24 points at one stage in the final quarter.

They currently sit 10th in the Western Conference, right on the edge of what would be good enough to reach the play-in tournament, while the Mavericks are one position outside of the automatic play-off places.

Davis was one assist away from securing his own triple-double, having also returned 12 rebounds, but he says Lakers players are not prioritising individual statistics.

“When guys are open, we're throwing them the ball and telling them to shoot it,” Davis said.

“It's not like we're going out and being selfish with the shots. We're having fun while we're doing it and making the right plays."

Doncic was happy enough with his comeback performance but admitted it was “tough on the legs”.

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd reserved special praise for the longevity of Lakers' NBA legend James.

"If you were a betting man, you would bet with him against Father Time," he said.

"It just doesn't look like he gets tired, he understands the game at a high level, he just lets the game come to him.

"He shows to our youth, if you understand the game, you can play for a long time. Hopefully the youth are watching."

Giannis Antetokounmpo missed out for the Milwaukee Bucks through injury for the first time in 29 games and his franchise paid the price, as they were thrashed 135-95 by the in-form Cleveland Cavaliers.

Georges Niang scored 33 and Donovan Mitchell put away 31 as the Cavs extended their winning streak to six matches to sit fourth in the Eastern Conference.

There were also tributes throughout the NBA for Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who died on Wednesday aged 46 following a heart-attack.

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said a 121-97 win over Miami Heat was for his fellow Serbian - and he paid tribute in the best way he could.

"The opening play of the game was an ATO (after timeout play) that Deki, my friend, [had in his playbook],” he said.

“I learned that play from him, and that's what he brought to the NBA, that's what he brought to Golden State. I stole that play from him.

"That was our opening play tonight, and we were able to score on that one. I dedicated this win to our team and to Deki."

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