LOS ANGELES -- Luka Doncic hit his first shot Thursday night, scoring on a running finger roll in the opening minutes of his baptism into the Golden State Warriors-Lakers rivalry.

But there weren't many highlights for Doncic after that, as he finished with 19 points on 6-for-17 shooting in L.A.'s 123-116 loss to the Warriors.

"That performance from me was unacceptable," Doncic said after the defeat dropped L.A. to No. 4 in the Western Conference standings with six games remaining in the regular season. "When I play like that, that makes [it] harder [for the team] to win, so just got to figure that out."

Doncic's shooting woes extended to the 3-point range, where he went 0-for-6, snapping a 114-game streak of making at least one 3 dating nearly two years to April 7, 2023. It was the fifth longest such streak in NBA history.

The Lakers guard's left elbow was heavily wrapped in kinesiology tape and iced, but he did not blame the injury for his off night.

"It's fine," Doncic said. "That's my left [arm], so it's fine. I was shooting with the right. It [just] looked like [the] left."

The Warriors used a switch everything brand of defense, which rattled L.A. in the first half, as it shot just 35.7% and trailed 60-47.

"It was not what they were doing," Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Golden State's defensive impact early on. "It was what we were doing. And we showed them at halftime. The spacing alignments [were incorrect] and having the wrong guy in the dunker spot, the wrong guy in the corner."

The Lakers rallied to score 69 points in the second half, with LeBron James, who was playing in his seventh game since returning from a two-week absence because of a strained left groin, scoring 25 of his 33 points and Austin Reaves producing 20 of his 31 points after the break.

"That was the best I've felt since before the injury, for sure," James said. "I just tried to press, get downhill. My rhythm, as far as my jump shot, felt pretty good today. I have been shooting it from the free throw line extremely well as of late. But that was probably the best physically I've felt so hopefully I can build off of that."

The Lakers were able to cut the Warriors' fourth-quarter lead from 14 to five with 4:37 remaining and again with 34.6 seconds left, but did not get any closer.

The Lakers host the undermanned New Orleans Pelicans on Friday on the second night of a back-to-back before going on the road to play a two-game set against the Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by a game Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks in Doncic's first return trip to face his former franchise.

The Lakers are one game up on the No. 5 Warriors but hold the tiebreaker from winning the season series 3-1. And L.A. is a half-game behind No. 3 Denver but the Nuggets hold the tiebreaker.

"It obviously felt like a playoff game," Doncic said. Obviously, the Warriors, since they acquired Jimmy [Butler], they've been playing unbelievably. So it was kind of playoff game and now we see what kind of team they are. Maybe we can meet them, maybe not, in the playoffs. So, we just need to be more ready."

James, who said he is "hopeful" to play against New Orleans, also kept the focus on L.A. when asked about Draymond Green's bullishness about the Warriors' championship chances this season.

"I have no idea, I can't answer that question," James said when asked how legitimate Green's claim is when it comes to Golden State's contender status. "I got to worry about us. I can't be worrying about other teams. That ain't my job."

NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge smiled and perhaps blushed when informed of Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s praise.

"We all tell him every day: 'Hey, we want to be you when we grow up,'" Chisholm said after Judge became the third-fastest New York Yankees player to reach 500 extra-base hits with a three-run homer in the first inning of Thursday night's 9-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

And the two players who reached the mark in fewer games than Judge? Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig.

"When I'm an old man coming to Old-Timers Day, I can look back and we can joke about it and laugh about it," Judge said.

Coming off his second American League MVP award, Judge fell a triple short of the cycle and is hitting .417 with five homers and 15 RBIs in the first six games this season. He has 320 homers, 175 doubles and five triples in 999 games, and only DiMaggio (853) and Gehrig (869) reached 500 extra-base hits in fewer games among Yankees.

"I feel like he's still getting there, which is remarkable," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "It's that part of me that takes him for granted a little bit. I just feel like he should get an extra-base hit every time. I kind of say it out loud just to try and remind myself what we're watching every day."

Judge lined a 1-1 fastball from Merrill Kelly at 112.1 mph to the opposite field and into the Yankees' bullpen for a 3-0 lead. He added a run-scoring single in the fourth inning as the Yankees moved ahead 7-3 and hit a 111.3 mph double in the sixth. He also flied out and hit a 109.5 mph groundout.

"I'm like, did you miss that one?" Boone recalled, laughing. "I catch myself having these ridiculous conversations with him sometimes, just because he keeps setting the bar so darn high."

Judge knows he's in for ribbing when he singles or doubles.

"He gives me a little smirk when I get on base like that," he said.

Judge also stole his first base of the season, as did Chisholm. Judge swiped 10 last year to Chisholm's 40.

"I told him I was going to catch him in stolen bases this year," Judge said playfully.

"He's starting to steal bags now. It's just getting ridiculous out of him, man," Chisholm said.

Chisholm and Trent Grisham hit two-run homers off Kelly (1-1), who allowed a career-high nine runs, nine hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. Chisholm is hitting .292 with four homers and eight RBIs.

"I'm OK compared to him. I'm trying to get to his level right now," Chisholm said of Judge. "I told him I'm not going to try to fall behind him too far. I got to keep up with him."

New York had 22 homers on a 4-2 opening homestand, five more than any other team ever hit in its first six games. Even though it was game No. 6, the Yankees felt an urgency after losing the Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Big G said a couple words before the game, just about this was our home turf. We got to go out there and we don't get swept at home," he said of Giancarlo Stanton. "Guys took that to heart."

Carlos Carrasco (1-0) got his first Yankees win, giving up three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. After New York opened a 9-3 lead, Geraldo Perdomo hit a seventh-inning grand slam off Ryan Yarbrough. Luke Weaver got four outs for his first save this season, ending Arizona's three-game winning streak.

Judge repeatedly refers to last year's World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It weighs on him far more than historical accomplishments.

"Especially after last season where we weren't able to finish the job, guys are motivated to go out and do something special," he said. "It starts every game you play."

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis forward Dylan Holloway left the Blues' 5-4 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first period on Thursday night because of a lower-body injury.

The team announced the injury during the first intermission and said he would not return to the game. It was not clear when Holloway was injured.

Holloway had eight shifts in the first period.

Holloway has been a driving force in the Blues' 10-game winning streak. He has 26 goals and 37 assists in 76 games this season.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Avalanche star Cale Makar scored against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night to become the ninth defenseman in the NHL, and the first with Colorado, to score 30 goals in a season.

The sixth-year player is the NHL's first defenseman to reach the 30-goal mark since Mike Green of the Washington Capitals had 31 in 2008-09.

Makar put the Avalanche up 5-2 by scoring a power-play goal with 38 seconds left in the second period. He was set up in the left circle for a one-timer by a pass from Nathan MacKinnon. He also had two assists as the Avalanche won, 7-3, to clinch their eighth consecutive playoff appearance.

Overall, NHL blue liners have now combined to reach 30 goals 18 times, led by Bobby Orr, who had five 30-goal seasons. Paul Coffey (four) and Denis Potvin (three) are the only others to have had multiple 30-goal seasons. The list is rounded out by Ray Bourque, Kevin Hatcher, Phil Housley and Doug Wilson.

With the goal and two assists, the 26-year-old Makar also increased his point total to 90, matching the franchise record for defenseman he set last season. In doing so, he became the NHL's fifth defenseman to produce consecutive 90-point seasons, and first since Coffey (1988-89 to 1990-91) and Al MacInnis (1989-90 to 1990-91).

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LSU star guard Flau'Jae Johnson is opting to skip the 2025 WNBA draft and will return to college basketball for her senior season, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

Johnson could either return to LSU for the 2025-26 season or enter the transfer portal before it closes on April 23 and weigh offseason NIL offers, the source said.

The news was first reported by The Athletic.

The 5-foot-10 guard has spent her entire college career in Baton Rouge and is intent on returning for her final year of college eligibility rather than enter the draft, which takes place in New York on April 14. In 2025, players had until Monday night to declare for the WNBA draft unless their teams were still active in postseason play as of Sunday, in which case they were granted 48 hours after their season ended to decide.

LSU's season ended with a 72-65 loss to the UCLA Bruins in Sunday's regional final, so Johnson had to tell the league if she would enter this year's draft by midnight Tuesday.

Because Johnson will turn 22 in November, she was eligible to enter this year's WNBA draft despite not having completed a full four college seasons. In addition to the WNBA, Unrivaled is in Johnson's professional future.

Unrivaled signed Johnson, as well as UConn's Paige Bueckers -- who has announced her intention to enter the WNBA draft -- to NIL deals that include equity in the new 3-on-3 league and set the stage for them to join once their college careers are concluded.

The 2024-25 season was the best of Johnson's three in Baton Rouge thus far, which began with her starting for the Tigers team that won the 2023 national championship as a freshman. This season, Johnson averaged a career-high 18.6 points and was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Johnson is one of the most marketable players in her sport, appearing during seemingly every other commercial break for women's and men's March Madness telecasts. She led the No. 3 seed Tigers (31-6) with 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting during their Elite Eight loss to top seed UCLA.

Information from ESPN's Kevin Pelton and The Associated Press was used in this report.

PHILADELPHIA -- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first player in NBA history to have 35 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 126-113 Thursday night.

Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks shoot 51.6% from 3-point range. The Bucks are coming off a win Tuesday against Phoenix in which they shot 68.9% from the field, the highest in an NBA game since 1998, and 58.6% from 3-point range.

Antetokounmpo is the third player this season to have 30 points and 20 assists in a game, according to ESPN Research. Nikola Jokic and Trae Young are the others. Antetokounmpo is also the third player in Bucks history to have at least 20 assists in a game, joining Ramon Sessions, who had 24 in 2008, and Guy Rodgers, who had 21 in 1968. His 20 assists were also a career high.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers left the bench in the first half, citing an illness, and watched from the locker room as assistant Darvin Ham took over. Ham said Antetokounmpo had to be more of a distributor without Damian Lillard, who is sidelined with deep vein thrombosis.

"Giannis has to think more like a point forward," Ham said. "And he's already built like that. So, it's not too much of a challenge for him. It's just now, you know, him understanding the organization, making sure we're in the right spots, making sure our timing is on point and the ball is moving when it's supposed to move on time or target."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant risked further action from the NBA after mimicking shooting a gun with his finger during Thursday night's 110-108 win at the Miami Heat despite being issued a warning by the league for making the same gesture earlier in the week.

After making a 25-foot 3-pointer with 7:51 left in the first quarter, Morant ran back on defense, his right arm fully extended and his left hand in a gun pose.

Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania earlier Thursday that Morant and Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield were both issued warnings for mimicking shooting a gun during Golden State's 134-125 road win Tuesday.

Sources said the NBA ruled that the celebrations were not intended to be violent in nature but were inappropriate. Both teams were also issued warnings.

On Tuesday, the game officials issued double technical fouls to Morant and Hield. Morant was not issued a technical foul by referees for his gesture Thursday.

Morant secured the win over the Heat with his 9-foot 2-point shot at the buzzer.

Morant, 25, a two-time All-Star, has twice been suspended by the NBA for brandishing a firearm on social media.

The first incident occurred in March 2023 during an Instagram livestream while Morant was at a suburban Denver nightclub after a loss to the Nuggets. The NBA issued an indefinite suspension that ended up spanning eight games.

Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season for conduct detrimental to the league after he brandished a firearm during an Instagram livestream on a friend's account in May 2023.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Reuters contributed to this report.

The Los Angeles Lakers are hosting the Golden State Warriors in a high-stakes Western Conference clash at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday. Just two games separate the teams in the standings, with playoff positioning very much up for grabs.

Stephen Curry is coming off a 52-point outburst in a 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Lakers -- led by LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic -- are riding momentum from a 104-98 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Los Angeles has dominated division opponents (12-3), while Golden State has struggled (3-10), though the addition of Jimmy Butler III has helped spark a late-season surge. And when games go down to the wire, the Warriors (6-5 in games decided by fewer than 4 points) have outperformed the Lakers (4-6 in games decided by 3 or fewer).

Expect fireworks, deep threes and plenty of drama in this late-night battle. Follow along for all the big plays and best moments from player arrivals to the final buzzer.

MILWAUKEE -- The Cincinnati Reds lost 1-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night to become only the second team in the live-ball era (since 1920) to lose three consecutive 1-0 games.

The Reds joined the Philadelphia Phillies, who lost three straight in the same fashion in 1960, according to ESPN Research.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Reds sustained back-to-back 1-0 losses to the Texas Rangers.

On Thursday, it was Milwaukee's Nestor Cortes' turn to shut down Cincinnati; he struck out six and walked two over six innings.

The Reds' only hit off Cortes was a one-out double by Jose Trevino in the third.

The Reds are now 0-13 with runners in scoring position over their past three games.

Joel Payamps retired the side in order in the ninth for his first save.

Cincinnati's Nick Lodolo (1-1) allowed one unearned run and four hits in 6 innings.

Lodolo didn't allow a baserunner for the first three innings. In the fourth, Jackson Chourio led off with a ground-rule double, and a fielding error by Lodolo allowed William Contreras to reach with one out. Sal Frelick drove in Chourio with a two-out single.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Stuck on 399 career goals for nearly a month, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn sat out against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, with coach Pete DeBoer saying it was for "maintenance."

The 35-year-old Benn had played 371 consecutive games. He scored his 399th goal against Edmonton on March 8.

Benn has 16 goals and 29 assists in 74 games this season.