Washington (United States) (AFP) – Cade Cunningham racked up 52 points as the Detroit Pistons edged a double-overtime thriller 144-140 against Washington on Thursday. The Wizards twice extended the game with clutch scores in the dying seconds but could not repeat the trick a third time as the Pistons held their nerve to claim an epic road win. Cunningham became the first player in NBA history to score 50 points and add 10 assists with zero turnovers, while Ausar Thompson had a triple-double with 17 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds.
The Wizards had three starters scoring 30-plus points — Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and Alex Sarr — but it was not enough to prevent Washington’s sixth defeat in a row. “Two overtimes, it was just going to come down who wanted it more, who had more in the tank,” said Cunningham. “I’d bet on my team any day. So great win for us.” In a back-and-forth game featuring 20 lead changes, Detroit started slow but built a double-digit lead early in the second half. It was slowly whittled down by Washington, but the Pistons were clinging on to their lead when Cunningham was fouled at 119-118 with less than two seconds remaining.
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Cunningham sank both free throws, but Trae Young made a nerveless trey right at the buzzer to force overtime. The Wizards raced 128-121 up, but Cunningham would not quit. He made a three-pointer with 30 seconds left to level the score, then set up Duncan Robinson for what appeared to be another. A video replay ruled Robinson’s toe was on the line, and Detroit had only a two-point lead. That proved crucial as Young set up this year’s top draft pick AJ Dybantsa, who forced a second overtime period with a pull-up jump shot.
Cunningham made a fadeaway shot for a four-point lead with 25 seconds left, and this time the Wizards could not conjure a third comeback. Young missed two three-point efforts, with Washington settling for two free throws, but were unable to score in their final possession.
– ‘Professional win’ –
Tyrese Maxey powered Philadelphia to its latest comeback victory, scoring 27 points as the Sixers shrugged off a slow start and the absence of LeBron James to beat the Toronto Raptors 123-112. Maxey added eight assists, linking up seamlessly with Joel Embiid, who briefly left the court early with a knee injury but returned to add 20 points. The Sixers had trailed by 17 points in the first quarter, immediately following Embiid’s absence, but rallied for their fifth double-digit comeback this season.
“We’ll take it. I mean, extreme professional win by us. We stayed with it. Didn’t start out great, but it was a good win,” said Maxey. “We played together the last seven years, so I kind of know where he’s going to be, he knows where I’m going to be at, and it’s good for us,” he said of his partnership with 2023 MVP Embiid. Veteran James, who turns 42 next month, was ruled out of Thursday’s clash to manage a lower back issue.
Philadelphia moved to 10-3, just half a game back from the 10-2 Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference. The Minnesota Timberwolves thrashed Dallas 133-94 while Devin Booker’s 30 points helped the Phoenix Suns overcome Charlotte 101-96.
© 2024 AFP
