Anthony Davis played for the Los Angeles Lakers as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 104-99 to secure their fifth straight NBA victory.
The 31-year-old scored 31 points and added 14 rebounds, while Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht scored 27 points.
LeBron James had 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 3-pointers to give the Pelicans a 97-95 lead.
But the 39-year-old James responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Lakers a 101-97 lead with 37 seconds left.
“Big win. We want all the wins we can get. We don’t have time to rest in the first two months,” James said.
“Every game is important. Getting this win in a hostile environment was big for us.”
Elsewhere on Saturday, Jayson Tatum scored a three-pointer at the buzzer to lead the Boston Celtics to a 126-123 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Tatum narrowly missed a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points.
De’Aaron Fox scored 49 points as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Utah Jazz 121-117, while the Dallas Mavericks posted a 110-93 victory against the San Antonio Spurs, who were without the injured Victor Wembanyama.
