Exum's shooting struggles in Doncic revenge game

• Dante Exum struggled from the three-point line as Dallas lost to Luka Doncic and the Lakers
• Jock Landale played nine minutes in an important win for Houston
• Josh Green only puts up four shots as the Hornets are demolished

Australian guard Dante Exum featured in the biggest game of the regular season as superstar Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-99 win over his former team the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic struggled to shoot the ball but showed his old team what they were missing after trading him to the Lakers earlier this month, with stats including 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Potential Australian Boomer Kyrie Irving was impressive for the Mavericks with 35 points, and had seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 40 minutes.

The Lakers established an early advantage, leading 28-20 after the first quarter and both teams matched each other's intensity in the second period, each scoring 31 points as the Lakers' maintained an eight-point lead at halftime.

Dallas made a strong push in the third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles 26-19 to narrow the gap to just one point heading into the final frame but the Lakers regained control in the fourth, pulling away with a 29-22 run to secure the eight-point victory.

Doncic's triple-double performance was the driving force behind the Lakers' success while he was supported by LeBron James with 27 points and 12 rebounds but the home team also had strong contributions from Austin Reaves (20 points) and Rui Hachimura (15 points).

Klay Thompson added 22 points for the Mavericks, including five three-pointers, but the team struggled to find consistent offensive production beyond their backcourt duo with Exum struggling from the field, going 3-from-9, including 2-from-7 from the three-point line for eight points.

This win moves the Lakers into fourth spot in the Western Conference, improving their record to 35-21 but the Mavericks drop to ninth with a record of 31-28.

Milwaukee Bucks @ Houston Rockets

Jock Landale also struggled from the field in his nine minutes but the Houston Rockets earned a hard fought 100-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Toyota Center.

Jalen Green had 25 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Bucks.

Charlotte Hornets @ Golden State Warriors

Aussie guard Josh Green put up just four shots, for six points, and dished out three assists and grabbed one rebound as his Charlotte Hornets were demolished by the Golden State Warriors 128-92 at the Chase Center.

The Warriors had seven players finish in double figures.