Davis leads LA Lakers to fifth straight win

Davis, who scored 40 points against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup on Friday, weighed in with another 31 on Saturday

Anthony Davis starred for the Los Angeles Lakers as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 104-99 to secure their fifth consecutive NBA win.

The 31-year-old scored 31 points and added 14 rebounds, while Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht scored 27 points.

LeBron James managed 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the visitors but failed to extend his career-best streak of four consecutive triple-doubles.

Brandon Boston Jr and Brandon Ingram, who had 32 points for the hosts, made consecutive three-pointers to give the Pelicans a 97-95 lead.

But 39-year-old James responded with back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lakers a 101-97 lead with 37 seconds remaining.

"Big-time win. We want all the wins we can get. We don't have no time to feel out the first month or two," James said.

"Every game is important. To get this win in a hostile environment was big for us."

Elsewhere on Saturday, Jayson Tatum scored a three-pointer at the buzzer to guide the Boston Celtics to a 126-123 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors.

Tatum narrowly missed a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points.

De'Aaron Fox scored 49 points as the Sacramento Kings beat the Utah Jazz 121-117 while the Dallas Mavericks posted a 110-93 win against the San Antonio Spurs, who were without the injured Victor Wembanyama.