DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 33 points and 11 assists, and the Lakers erased a 15-point deficit in the final seven minutes of a 116-110 victory over the Mavericks on Saturday night in the star guard's second visit to Dallas since his shocking trade to Los Angeles almost a year ago.
LeBron James scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, when Rui Hachimura had a four-point play before another 3-pointer on the next possession to put the Lakers in front for good as Doncic improved to 4-0 against his former team.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dribbles the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg works the floor against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia (12) reaches for a pass as Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks forward Caleb Martin during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) throws up a shot against Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Hachimura's 3-pointer for a 108-106 lead started an 11-2 run that Doncic capped with a driving layup for an eight-point edge, prompting the Slovenian star to turn his old bench and declare the game over.
Max Christie, who came to Dallas along with injured 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis in the trade for Doncic, scored 24 points. Naji Marshall had 21 points and 11 rebounds as Dallas' season-best four-game winning streak ended.
The Mavericks outscored the Lakers 41-14 from the start of the third quarter until early in the fourth, turning a 13-point deficit into a 14-point lead. Brandon Williams, who scored 20 points, had eight on a 10-2 run to finish the third, which started with a 20-4 Dallas burst.
The lead was 15 points with less than 7 minutes remaining when the Lakers started their rally, sparked by James after a slow start had him with a minus-28 rating early in the fourth.
Doncic didn't have to deal with the same emotions as his return to Dallas last season, when we wept on the bench during a tribute video before he was introduced. The NBA's scoring leader was 14 of 15 on free throws.
Lakers: A visit to Chicago on Monday is the halfway point of an eight-game trip, the longest of the season.
Mavericks: At Milwaukee on Sunday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dribbles the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg works the floor against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia (12) reaches for a pass as Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks forward Caleb Martin during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) throws up a shot against Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
HONOLULU (AP) — Seven Japanese American soldiers were promoted to officer ranks in a solemn ceremony Monday, eight decades after they died fighting for the U.S. during World War II despite having been branded “enemy aliens."
White flower lei adorned framed photos of the men displayed in a Honolulu military memorial park and received salutes as their family members watched from tents shielding them from rain that stopped as the ceremony began.
The seven were students at the University of Hawaii and cadets in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, on track to become Army officers, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. They initially served in the Hawaii Territorial Guard, but soon after the attack the U.S. barred most Japanese Americans from service and deemed them enemy aliens.
The seven cadets instead worked with a civilian labor battalion known as “Varsity Victory Volunteers,” which performed tasks such as digging ditches and breaking rocks, until American leaders in early 1943 announced the formation of a segregated Japanese American regiment. The seven were among those who joined the unit, known as the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
The combat team, along with the 100th battalion comprised of mostly Japanese Americans from Hawaii, went on to become one of the most decorated units in U.S. history. Some of its soldiers fought for the Allies even as their relatives were detained in Japanese American internment camps because they were considered a public danger.
“It is important for us to really kind of give back and recognize our forefathers and these veterans that we stand on the shoulders of,” said 1st Sgt. Nakoa Hoe of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Regiment, what the unit is now known as in the Army Reserve. He noted the once-segregated unit now includes a “multitude of cultures.”
The seven “sacrificed so much at a challenging time when their loyalty to their country was questioned and they even had family members imprisoned,” he added.
The seven men — Daniel Betsui, Jenhatsu Chinen, Robert Murata, Grover Nagaji, Akio Nishikawa, Hiroichi Tomita and Howard Urabe — died fighting in Europe in 1944. All but Murata were killed during the campaign to liberate Italy from Nazi Germany. Murata was killed by an artillery shell in eastern France.
Murata's nephew, Todd Murata, 65, grew up hearing about his uncle's sacrifice. “It's an honor to be related to one of those people, those men, who volunteered for service,” he said. “After all these years, people still remember them.”
He was among the relatives who watched as the men were promoted to 2nd lieutenant, the rank they would have attained had they completed the ROTC program.
Even though Hawaii was not yet a state, the cadets were American citizens because they were born in Hawaii after its annexation in 1898.
Monday's ceremony capping efforts to honor the men comes amid growing concern that President Donald Trump's administration is whitewashing American history ahead of the nation celebrating 250 years of its independence. The administration has faced criticism for taking such steps as last week's removal of an exhibit on slavery at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.
Last year, the Pentagon said internet pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were mistakenly taken down. But it staunchly defended its overall campaign to strip out content singling out the contributions by women and minority groups amid Trump administration opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Honoring the seven isn't about DEI but recognizing them for their merit and that “they served in the ultimate capacity of giving their lives for the country,” said Lt. Col. Jerrod Melander, who previously led the University of Hawaii's ROTC program as professor of military science.
Melander said he launched the commissioning effort in 2023 during former President Joe Biden’s administration and that the promotions were approved last year during the Trump administration.
The university awarded the men posthumous degrees in 2012. Laura Lyons, interim vice provost for academic excellence at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, called their promotions especially important.
“Everyone’s contribution to and sacrifice for the ideals of freedom and the security of this country should matter and should be acknowledged, regardless of who they are,” Lyons said.
Clifford Urabe, left, and June Harada, nephew and niece of Howard Urabe, a former University of Hawaii ROTC cadet, are interviewed after a posthumous commissioning ceremony at Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)
Faith Shiramizu places a lei on a framed photo of her uncle, Howard Urabe, a former University of Hawaii ROTC cadet, after a posthumous commissioning ceremony at Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)
U.S. Army soldiers stand behind framed photos of former University of Hawaii ROTC cadets during a moment of silence during a posthumous commissioning ceremony at Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)
U.S. Army soldiers salute framed photos of former University of Hawaii ROTC cadets during a posthumous commissioning ceremony at Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)
This combo image made with photos provided by the U.S. Army Pacific shows, from left to right, University of Hawaii ROTC cadets Jenhatsu Chinen, Daniel Betsui and Howard Urabe, top row, and Hiroichi Tomita, Grover Nagaji, Robert Murata and Akio Nishikawa, bottom row. (U.S. Army Pacific via AP)
