NBA
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - LeBron James had 34 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Anthony Davis’ absence and Zion Williamson’s highest-scoring game to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 122-114.
Williamson finished with 35 points, but his largely productive and highlight-filled night was marred somewhat by six turnovers.
Kyle Kuzma scored 20, including a 3-pointer that put the Lakers up 113-109 with 3:40 to go. The Lakers gradually pulled away after that, aided by James’ 3 with 2:27 left.
Davis, who spent the first seven of his eight seasons with New Orleans, sat out with a sore right knee, one night after playing in the Lakers’ 105-88 loss at Memphis.
Lonzo Ball had 19 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for New Orleans, and Derrick Favors added 12 points and 14 rebounds. But the Pelicans were done in by poor 3-point shooting, going 7 of 33.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points, 20 rebounds and six assists, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 93-85 for their sixth straight win.
Brook Lopez added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Bucks, who’ve won 20 of their last 22 games and improved to a league-best 52-8 on the season.
Antetokounmpo scored in almost every way imaginable - on pick-and-rolls, fast-break dunks, fadeaway jumpers and from the foul line.
The Bucks led by two entering the fourth quarter after turning the ball over 15 times in the first three quarters. Charlotte hung tough until the final two minutes, when Antetokounmpo took over.
The 6-foot-11 forward hit a turnaround baseline jumper over Miles Bridges and then grabbed an offensive rebound on the next possession and was fouled, converting both free throws to push the lead to seven. Then he scored on a driving layup with 1:09 left, sending the majority of the crowd streaming to the exits.
Antetokounmpo’s 20 rebounds were one shy of his career high.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Bradley Beal had 34 points, eight assists and a season-best five steals, and the Washington Wizards won on the Golden State Warriors’ home court for the first time in six years with a 124-110 victory.
Beal has scored at least 25 points in a franchise-record 18 straight games. He scored 20 in the initial 8:51 of the game and had 27 by halftime, making six of his seven 3-pointers in the first half while shooting 10 for 24 overall.
Beal - coming off a 42 point-performance in a 10-point loss at Utah on Friday night - is averaging 42.8 points over the past five games for the Wizards, who had lost four out of five.
Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points in Golden State’s ninth straight defeat at new Chase Center. The Warriors had their six-game winning streak against Washington snapped and five in a row at home.
They were still without Stephen Curry, who had hoped to return for Sunday’s game from a broken left hand he injured against Phoenix on Oct. 30. He is scheduled to practice with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors on Monday before his next step is determined.
GOLF
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) - Sungjae Im started fast and finished stronger Sunday, winning the Honda Classic by one shot over Mackenzie Hughes for his first career PGA Tour victory.
The 21-year-old South Korean closed with a 4-under 66, getting up-and-down for par from a bunker on the par-5 18th.
Hughes (66) made a birdie putt of just outside 50 feet on the 17th hole to give himself a chance. He missed a 20-foot birdie putt that would have forced a playoff. The last chance belonged to Tommy Fleetwood, who needed birdie on the 18th to catch Im. Fleetwood hit his second shot into the water and made bogey for a 71 to finish alone in third.
Im finished at 6-under 274, matching the second-highest score to win the Honda Classic since it moved to PGA National in 2007. Im, the PGA Tour rookie of the year last season, has played more tournaments and more rounds than anyone in the last two seasons, and he now has a victory to show for it.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Bernhard Langer took another step closer to the PGA Tour Champions victory record by closing with an 8-under 65 to turn a four-shot deficit into at two-shot win in the Cologuard Classic.
Langer was flawless until the the final hole at Tucson National. He made nine birdies in 17 holes to seize control Sunday, and he wound up two shots ahead of Woody Austin.
Langer won for the 41st time on the 50-and-older circuit. Hale Irwin holds the PGA Tour Champions record with 45 victories, the last one coming in 2007.
Langer finished at 18-under 201, and moved to the top of the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) - Sami Valimaki of Finland made par on the third playoff hole to outlast Brandon Stone and win the Oman Open for his first European Tour title.
Valimaki and Stone both birdied the par-4 18th hole at Al Mouj Golf Club for a 2-under 70 to finish on 13-under 275, one shot ahead of Adrien Saddier (69).
Valimaki and Stone both made par the next two times they played the 18th in the playoff, and Valimaki won with a par on the third extra hole.
AUTO RACING
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) - Alex Bowman raced to his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory, holding off Kyle and Kurt Busch to win at Auto Club Speedway.
Bowman led 110 laps and kept his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in front after the final pit stops for a comfortable win in a smooth, fairly uneventful race featuring only one caution outside of the stage breaks. Bowman, the 26-year-old Arizonan, grew up racing almost weekly in nearby Pomona.
Defending Fontana champion Kyle Busch was 8.9 seconds behind in second place in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. His older brother Kurt was third, and Bowman teammate Chase Elliott came in fourth.
Six-time Fontana champion Jimmie Johnson finished seventh after running near the front for most of his final race as a full-time driver at the NASCAR track closest to his native El Cajon, California, about 100 miles away. His winless streak is at a career-worst 98 races, but he showed impressive pace before his Hendrick teammate took charge of the race.
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