Los Angeles (AFP)

A fifth consecutive win in San Antonio left the Lakers alone at the top of the NBA West Conference, followed by a win by their rivals LA, the Clippers, struggling to beat Utah.

. The Lakers chained

Two days after their overtime victory in Dallas, the Lakers showed no sign of fatigue and won (103-96) in San Antonio. A fifth ranking success, synonymous with first place in the Western standings.

Under the eyes of one of the biggest fans of the franchise, rapper Snoop Dogg, LeBron James has once again split a triple-double, after his daring duel with Luka Doncic 48 hours earlier.

The King scored 21 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, including an outstanding one, crossing the field for Avery Bradley, that would not have denied New England quarterback Tom Brady, beaten at the same time in Baltimore, for the first time this season in NFL.

Los Angeles was also able to count on a "factor X" named Dwight Howard, author of dunks, rebounds and decisive counters at the end of the match. "He has understood the role that must be his in this team ... he is our dominant element in the final defensive curtain," said coach Frank Vogel.

. Clippers cling

For three quarterbacks, the Clippers have not found the solution to the formidable defense of Utah, the best in the league. Limited to 39 points at the break, the Angelinos then returned to their fatal weapon Kawhi Leonard, who scored 18 of his 30 points in the last quarter.

The other major contributor to this fifth win (105-94) is the untenable domestic Watchzl Harrell, author of 19 points, 8 rebounds and a tremendous debauchery of energy out of the bench.

Jazz side, Donovan Mitchell has split 34 points and 5 passes ultimately in vain, as the double-double of the French Rudy Gobert (12 pts, 14 rebounds).

"We lose this game because of our passivity to the offensive rebounds, that's where they punished us.We led ten points at the end of the third quarter, and we fell asleep," regretted the French pivot.

. And of 11 for Doncic

Like his idol LeBron James, Luka Doncic scored a second consecutive triple-double in the Dallas Cleveland victory (131-111). The Slovenian leader, rookie last season, scored 29 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists, including one behind his back, blind, for a basket three-point inside Kristaps Porzingis (18 pts, 9 rbds , 6 counters).

This is the 11th triple-double managed by Doncic, a record he continues to improve for a player not yet 21 years old. Before their majority (American), Magic Johnson and LeBron James had managed "only" 7 and 5.

. Florida Records

It was not necessary to arrive late at the American Airlines Arena, something that many spectators in Miami often do. A bad habit that prevented these careless to see the men of Erick Spoelstra break a club record, since they led 46-14 against Houston after the first quarter.

This unprecedented lead of 32 points, the Heat has improved logically in victory (129-100), and it turned out in the other direction a record deficit for the Rockets, whose "Gruyère defense" has completely melted in Florida.

With five wins for one loss, Miami had a great start to the season with a very consistent team around Jimmy Butler. All the opposite of Houston (3rd loss, 3 wins), struggling to show the collective cohesion behind a duo James Harden / Russell Westbrook who plays mostly solo.

The results of the North American Basketball Championship (NBA) after the matches played on Sunday:

Sunday:

Cleveland - Dallas 111 - 131

Miami - Houston 129 - 100

New York - Sacramento 92 - 113

LA Clippers - Utah 105 - 94

San Antonio - The Lakers 96 - 103

Indiana - Chicago 108 - 95

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