LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers are not just about LeBron James and Anthony Davis if they can play as a team and relieve the pressure on their two stars.

On Jan 9, Davis scored a season-high 41 points as the Lakers edged past the Toronto Raptors 132-131 in a thrilling National Basketball Association (NBA) home clash.

A pulsating duel that saw no fewer than 23 lead changes swung decisively in favour of Los Angeles, thanks to a huge fourth-quarter display from Davis.

The eight-time All-Star erupted for 20 points in a high-scoring final period, including a perfect 11-from-11 free throws, to help the Lakers overturn a six-point deficit and claim a second straight win.

The victory left the team at 19-19 for the season – 10th in the Western Conference.

“We’ll take it. We can do better but, obviously, for us that’s a big-time win,” a relieved Davis said.

However, the victory was not all about him, as he received crucial scoring support throughout the line-up – something that has been a problem for Los Angeles in recent outings.

LeBron James scored 22 points, while five other Lakers players finished in double digits.

“All our guys came in and did a heck of a job,” Davis added.

“Obviously there’s going to be a lot of attention on me and LeBron and that’s going to give the others a lot of open shots and open plays. We’ve just got to keep feeding them the ball, keep trusting them to keep making plays.”

Scottie Barnes led Toronto’s scorers with 26 points, while Pascal Siakam finished with 25 and R.J. Barrett 23 at Crypto.com Arena.

In other games, the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to an impressive 113-92 road victory over the Orlando Magic in Florida.

The result was never in doubt after Minnesota sprinted to a 17-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and they continued to score freely – extending their advantage to 34 at one stage – as they romped to victory.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the rout for the Timberwolves with 28 points, including a perfect five-from-five three-pointers.

French international Rudy Gobert also caught the eye with a dynamic all-round display, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and a steal as Minnesota improved to 26-10 for the season.

Moritz Wagner led the Orlando scoring with 21 points at Kia Centre.

“Everyone did a great job of building the lead, sustaining the lead and just continuing to find a way to attack,” said Towns, who also had six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

In New York, the Knicks extended their winning streak since the acquisition of forward O.G. Anunoby to five games with a blowout 112-84 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden.

The London-born Anunoby finished with 23 points – his highest tally since joining from Toronto in a blockbuster deal in December – in what was an easy victory for the Knicks.

New York took charge in the first quarter, outscoring the Blazers 38-22, and never looked like relinquishing their grip on the contest, stretching the lead to 39 points during the second half.

In Dallas, the Memphis Grizzlies responded to the news of Ja Morant’s season-ending shoulder surgery with an emphatic 120-103 defeat of the Mavericks.

On Jan 8, the Grizzlies learnt that Morant, who returned to action only in December after serving a 25-game suspension for firearm-related disciplinary offences, will miss the remainder of the season after injuring his shoulder at practice at the weekend.

However, they brushed off that bombshell to complete a comfortable win. Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 32 points while Marcus Smart added 23, including four three-pointers at American Airlines Centre.

“It was awesome. I’m so proud of the group, obviously, with everything that has transpired in the last 24 hours,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.

“This is one of the most impressive team wins of the season. Our guys came out and played to our standard and with a lot of joy. It was awesome just how they rallied together.” AFP