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Luka Doncic scored 53 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 124-118 comeback victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Friday's NBA Cup action, while LeBron James endured a difficult return to Cleveland as the Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95.
The Lakers overcame a 16-point second-quarter deficit to pick up their fourth consecutive win, with Doncic delivering another standout performance that included five rebounds and five assists.
The Slovenian star closed the first half with a remarkable shot from beyond the half-court line, cutting Portland's lead to seven points and setting up Los Angeles' second-half comeback.
Although the Trail Blazers narrowed the gap to four points in the final minute, Doncic responded with a floater, a short one-handed shot, to help the Lakers hold on.
Doncic has now scored at least 40 points in six of his last seven games, becoming only the fourth Lakers player to reach that mark in four consecutive regular-season appearances, alongside Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant and George Mikan.
His latest performance also marked the 11th 50-point game of his NBA career and his fourth since joining Los Angeles, moving him past James and level with Mikan for the fourth-most such games in franchise history.
"I'm having a lot of fun," Doncic said. "Obviously playing basketball, it's a lot of fun for me. It's more (fun) when you play like this and when you win games."
Elsewhere, James returned to Cleveland for the first time as a Philadelphia player after leaving the Lakers in June, but his former team handed the 76ers a 119-95 defeat that brought their five-game winning streak to an end.
The 41-year-old, now in his 24th NBA season, received a largely warm welcome from Cleveland supporters, despite scattered boos during his introduction. He was applauded again when he left the court late in the fourth quarter.
However, James struggled offensively, finishing with eight points on three-of-12 shooting, alongside seven rebounds, three assists and six turnovers.
Joel Embiid also endured a difficult game, missing all nine of his field-goal attempts and finishing with six points from free throws, while offseason arrival Jaylen Brown led Philadelphia with 20 points.
Cleveland took control early through Donovan Mitchell, who scored 23 points, including 10 in the opening quarter. Evan Mobley added 22 as the Cavaliers outrebounded Philadelphia 56-42 despite missing injured center Jarrett Allen.
James acknowledged that he had struggled to find his offensive rhythm and pointed to his turnovers as a contributing factor, even though Philadelphia briefly reduced the deficit to three points in the third quarter.
The Boston Celtics also delivered a commanding performance, beating the Charlotte Hornets 119-80 after converting 24 of their 44 three-point attempts.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 34 points, including five three-pointers, as the Celtics remained ahead throughout the contest and built a lead of as many as 46 points.
Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama followed up his 52-point, 24-rebound performance against Dallas with another strong display, recording 30 points and 14 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 124-109.
The Oklahoma City Thunder maintained their winning streak against Memphis with a 128-97 victory, marking their 13th consecutive regular-season triumph over the Grizzlies.
Ajay Mitchell scored a career-high 35 points, while two-time defending NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 28.
Despite missing injured starters Jaylen Williams, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City pulled away early and entered halftime with a commanding 71-49 advantage.
Friday's games formed part of the NBA Cup group stage, the league's in-season tournament, which continues through November.
The quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 4-5, followed by the semifinals on Dec. 8-9 and the final on Dec. 11.
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