NBA: James, Davis carry Lakers to win

James and Davis scored 26 points apiece as the reigning NBA champions escaped with a victory that kept them unbeaten in four road games this season

Los Angeles: LeBron James and Anthony Davis picked up the pace when the Los Angeles Lakers needed them most, coming up big in the waning minutes of a 94-92 NBA victory over the Grizzlies in Memphis on Tuesday.

James and Davis scored 26 points apiece as the reigning NBA champions escaped with a victory that kept them unbeaten in four road games this season and improved their record to 6-2 overall.

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James, who added 11 rebounds and seven assists, scored 21 of his points in the second half to make sure Los Angeles came out on the right side of the ledger on a night when both teams struggled shooting.

The Lakers trailed 79-77 with 5:18 remaining. Davis drained a three-pointer to put Los Angeles ahead, and he and James took over. In Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving carried the load for the Nets in the absences of Kevin Durant, scoring 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting in a 130-96 romp over the Utah Jazz.

Irving made his first nine shots as the Nets raced to a 21-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The San Antonio Spurs snapped a four-game losing streak with a 116-113 victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles.

Australian Patty Mills drained a career-high eight three-pointers as he led the Spurs with 27 points off the bench. The Nuggets, fueled by Nikola Jokic’s 35 points, won a back-and-forth battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-116 in Denver.

The Nuggets led by as many as 18 points in the first half, but the Timberwolves battled back to take an eight-point lead in the third quarter. The visitors were up by seven early in the fourth when the Nuggets put together a 15-0 scoring run to turn the tide.