CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Anthony Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a huge first quarter from the All-Star center to build a 23-point lead before beating the Charlotte Hornets 112-107 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.
LeBron James had 22 points and Austin Reaves chipped in 17 for the Lakers, who never trailed.
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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts as he trips over Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) walks off the court and and to the locker room after tripping during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, left, reacts after tripping over Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James directs a play during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) reacts after making a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, top left, dunks over Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee, left, talks with guard LaMelo Ball (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis reacts after dunking against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) guards against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Miles Bridges had 26 points for the Hornets, who lost LaMelo Ball in the second quarter to a left ankle injury after he stepped on Jarred Vanderbilt’s foot as he backpedaled down the court after draining a 3-point jumper off one foot.
It was supposed to be a celebratory night for the Hornets in a game that was aired on free, local over-the-air TV throughout the Carolinas for the first time since the 2007-08 season — giving them a chance to potentially capture a new audience.
But it didn't go as planned.
Davis scored 21 points in the first quarter on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds as the Lakers bolted to a 39-19 lead.
Lakers: Davis was dominant and there was nothing Mark Williams could do stop him. Williams struggled to defend Davis on the perimeter as he sank a series of uncontested fadeaway jumpers. Four Lakers starters played at least 36 minutes.
Hornets: Ball has missed 158 games during his NBA career due to injury. He came in averaging 28.9 points, but was not chosen an All-Star starter despite leading all Eastern Conference guards in voting.
After Charlotte pulled within six with about a minute to play, Dorian Finney-Smith drove the lane for a high-flying dunk over Bridges.
Los Angeles made 14 of 16 shots to open the game.
The Lakers are at Philadelphia on Tuesday; the Hornets host the Nets on Wednesday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts as he trips over Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) walks off the court and and to the locker room after tripping during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, left, reacts after tripping over Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James directs a play during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) reacts after making a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, top left, dunks over Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee, left, talks with guard LaMelo Ball (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis reacts after dunking against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) guards against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, cementing a liberal majority for at least three more years.
Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge who led legal fights to protect union power and abortion rights and to oppose voter ID, defeated Republican-backed Brad Schimel in a race that broke records for spending, was on pace to be the highest-turnout Wisconsin Supreme Court election ever and became a proxy fight for the nation’s political battles.
“Growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I would be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin,” Crawford said, referring to Musk. “And we won.”
Trump, Musk and other Republicans lined up behind Schimel, a former state attorney general. Democrats including former President Barack Obama and billionaire megadonor George Soros backed Crawford.
The first major election in the country since November was seen as a litmus test of how voters feel about Trump’s first months back in office and the role played by Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has torn through federal agencies and laid off thousands of workers. Musk traveled to Wisconsin on Sunday to make a pitch for Schimel and personally hand out to $1 million checks to voters.
Early voting was more than 50% ahead of levels seen in the state’s Supreme Court race two years ago, when majority control was also at stake.
Seven polling sites in Milwaukee ran out of ballots, or were nearly out, due to “historic turnout,” and more ballots were on their way before polls closed, said Paulina Gutierrez, the executive director of the Milwaukee Elections Commission.
Clerks all across the state, including in the city’s deep-red suburbs, reported turnout far exceeding 2023 levels.
Schimel told his supporters he had conceded to Crawford, leading to yells of anger. One woman began to chant, “Cheater, cheater!”
“No,” Schimel said. “You’ve got to accept the results.”
The court can decide election-related laws and settle disputes over future election outcomes.
“Wisconsin’s a big state politically, and the Supreme Court has a lot to do with elections in Wisconsin,” Trump said Monday. “Winning Wisconsin’s a big deal, so therefore the Supreme Court choice … it’s a big race.”
Crawford embraced the backing of Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights advocates, running ads that highlighted Schimel’s opposition to the procedure. She also attacked Schimel for his ties to Musk and Republicans, referring to Musk as “Elon Schimel” during a debate.
Schimel’s campaign tried to portray Crawford as weak on crime and a puppet of Democrats who, if elected, would push to redraw congressional district boundary lines to hurt Republicans and repeal a GOP-backed state law that took collective bargaining rights away from most public workers.
Voters in Eau Claire seemed to be responding to both messages. Jim Seeger, a 68-year-old retiree, said he voted for Schimel because he’s concerned about redistricting.
Jim Hazelton, a 68-year-old disabled veteran, said he had planned to abstain but voted for Crawford after Musk — whom he described as a “pushy billionaire” — and Trump got involved.
“He’s cutting everything,” Hazelton said of Musk. “People need these things he’s cutting.”
Crawford’s win keeps the court under a 4-3 liberal majority, as it has been since 2023. A liberal justice is not up for election again until April 2028, ensuring liberals will either maintain or increase their hold on the court until then.
Crawford took the stage Tuesday evening surrounded by the four current liberal justices, thanked each of them and hugged them.
The court likely will be deciding cases on abortion, public sector unions, voting rules and congressional district boundaries. Who controls the court also could factor into how it might rule on any future voting challenge in the perennial presidential battleground state, which raised the stakes of the race for national Republicans and Democrats.
Musk and groups he funded poured more than $21 million into the contest. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, campaigned for Schimel in the closing weeks and said electing him was essential to protecting the Republican agenda. Trump endorsed Schimel just 11 days before the election.
Last year the court declined to take up a Democratic-backed challenge to congressional lines, but Schimel and Musk have said that if Crawford won, the court would redraw congressional districts to make them more favorable to Democrats.
Musk was pushing that message on election day, both on TV and the social media platform he owns, X, urging people to cast ballots in the final hours of voting.
Schimel, who leaned into his Trump endorsement in the closing days of the race, said he would not be beholden to the president or Musk despite the massive spending on the race by groups that Musk supports.
Crawford benefitted from campaign stops by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the vice presidential nominee last year, and money from billionaire megadonors including Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
The contest was the most expensive court race on record in the U.S., with spending nearing $99 million, according to a tally by the Brennan Center for Justice. That broke the previous record of $51 million record, for the state’s Supreme Court race in 2023.
Musk contributed $3 million to the campaign, while groups he funded poured in another $18 million. Musk also gave $1 million each to three voters who signed a petition he circulated against “activist” judges.
“Today, Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court,” Crawford said in her victory speech. “And Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale.”
Musk was silent on his X platform in the wake of Crawford’s victory, reposting a message about Vietnam and tariffs but nothing on the Supreme Court contest.
Schimel leaned into his support from Trump while saying he would not be beholden to the president or Musk. Democrats have centered their messaging on the spending by Musk-funded groups.
“Ultimately I think it’s going to help Susan Crawford, because people do not want to see Elon Musk buying election after election after election,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said Monday. “If it works here, he’s going to do it all over the country.”
At a polling place in Waunakee near Madison, 39-year-old Iraq War veteran Taylor Sullivan said he voted for Schimel for no reasons connected to Trump or Musk, but rather “because I support the police as much as Schimel does.”
In Milwaukee, 22-year-old college student Kenneth Gifford said he feels that Trump has done damage to American institutions and that Musk is trying to buy votes.
“I want an actual, respectable democracy,” he said.
Associated Press writers Ali Swenson in New York; Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta; Thomas Beaumont in Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Mark Vancleave in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel makes his concession speech to a crowd at his election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Pewaukee, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel makes his concession speech to a crowd at his election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Pewaukee, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley speaks during an election night party for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford after Crawford won the election Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford waves during her election night party after winning the election Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Supporters for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford cheer during her election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Stickers for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford are seen at her election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Sandy Solo, of Milwaukee, watches a broadcast as ballots are tallied during Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford's election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Supporters for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford take a photo in front of a sign during her election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Supporters of Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford celebrate during her election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Supporters for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford cheer during her election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Attendees watch a CNN broadcast as ballots are tallied during Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford's election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel, center, warms up with his band "4 on the Floor" early at his election night party April 1, 2025, in Pewaukee, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Maximillian Marquez marks his ballot while voting at the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language in the state's Supreme Court election, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Mike Rohleder marks his ballot while voting at Waters Edge event venue in the state's Supreme Court election, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Signs supporting Brad Schimel for Wisconsin Supreme Court and Brittany Kinser for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction adorn the lawn of a farm along County Road A on Election Day Tuesday, April 1, 2025, near Tibbets, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Josette Baublitz marks her ballot while voting at Waters Edge event venue in the state's Supreme Court election, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Voters mark their ballots while voting at Waters Edge event venue in the state's Supreme Court election, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Christopher Bravata, right, marks his ballot while voting at the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building on Election Day, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
A voter enters Centennial Hall at the Milwaukee Central Library to vote on Election Day Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Signs supporting Judge Susan Crawford, voting and election officials adorn the front yard of a home on South Sixteenth Street on Election Day Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Tainesha Johnson (CQ), center, marks her ballot while voting at Centennial Hall at the Milwaukee Central Library on Election Day Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Olivia Hansen carries her unmarked ballot to the voting booth while voting at Centennial Hall at the Milwaukee Central Library on Election Day Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Voters mark their ballots while voting at Centennial Hall at the Milwaukee Central Library on Election Day Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford has her photo taken with supporters Saturday, March 29, 2025 at a campaign stop at a field office for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel addresses a rally Saturday, March 29, 2025 on a campaign stop at the American Serb Memorial Hall in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Elon Musk speaks during a town hall Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford addresses a crowd Saturday, March 29, 2025 at a campaign stop at a field office for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel, center, speaks with supporters as former Gov. Scott Walker, left, watches on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
FILE - This combination of file photos shows Brad Schimel, former Republican attorney general Brad Schimel, in Madison, Wis., Jan. 5, 2015, and Susan Crawford in June 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, Susan Crawford for Wisconsin, File)
