The China Mail - Doncic off the mark as Lakers rout Jazz

Slovenian superstar Doncic -- who was traded to the Lakers by the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month in one of the most jaw-dropping deals in NBA history -- was playing his first game since suffering a calf injury in December.

The 25-year-old saw his time on court limited to 24 minutes, with Lakers head coach J.J. Redick saying beforehand the club would be cautious as they managed Doncic's fitness.

"I heard a lot of noise when I was introduced -- it was a special moment," Doncic said afterwards of the reception by the Lakers home crowd.

There was a fleeting scare in the first quarter when Doncic required treatment to his left calf before heading to the locker room early in the quarter.

But the five-time All-Star returned to the court before eventually leaving the game late in the third quarter with the Lakers in control leading 93-69.

In his time on court Doncic showed plenty of glimpses of the class that the Lakers hope will lead the team into a new era.

He scored his first points as a Laker with a superb 26-foot three-pointer in the first quarter, and linked well throughout with LeBron James, who finished with 24 points.

The Lakers improved to 32-19 with the victory and sit in fifth place in the Western Conference. Utah fell to 12-40 and are one place off the bottom of the table.

- Cavs, Thunder march on -

The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 44-point display from Anthony Edwards to maintain their grip on the Eastern Conference with a 128-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Wolves ace Edwards put on a scintillating individual performance with eight three-pointers from 13-of-28 shooting, but his effort was in vain as Cleveland romped to a wire-to-wire win.

The Cavaliers improved to 43-10 to remain 5.5 games clear of the second-placed Boston Celtics, who were comfortable 103-85 winners over the Miami Heat.

Evan Mobley led the Cavs' scoring with 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four blocks on a night when six Cleveland scorers cracked double figures. Donovan Mitchell had 23 points, with Darius Garland scoring 17.

In Miami, the reigning NBA champion Celtics fought back from an early 11-point deficit to outgun the Heat.

Jayson Tatum finished with 33 points to lead the Boston scoring. Boston improved to 38-16 with the victory.

In Milwaukee, Stephen Curry scored a season-high 38 points as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Bucks 125-111.

Golden State star Curry made six three-pointers in his 38-point haul, with new recruit Jimmy Butler adding 20 points.

The Bucks' Damian Lillard shot 12-of-20 and also finished with 38 points, following on from his 43 points in Sunday's win over Philadelphia.

In Washington, Victor Wembanyama warmed up for the coming All-Star weekend with a dazzling performance in the San Antonio Spurs' 131-121 win over the Wizards.

French star Wembanyama finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and three blocks, while new San Antonio signing De'Aaron Fox finished with 30 points.

The Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder meanwhile rolled to their sixth straight win with a 137-101 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City's scoring with 31 points, while Aaron Wiggins added 24 from the bench.

Oklahoma City now lead the West with a 43-9 record, eight games clear of second-placed Memphis (35-17).

I.Ko--ThChM