Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Cade Cunningham delivered a triple-double and Tim Hardaway Jr. came up big in overtime as the Detroit Pistons held off Miami 125-124 in an NBA thriller on Monday that snapped the Heat’s four-game winning streak. The Pistons had looked to be in full control in Detroit, holding an 18-point lead with 8:05 left in the fourth quarter. But the Heat roared back, knotting the score at 114-114 on Tyler Herro’s three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation. Cunningham came up empty on a potential game-winner and the Heat scored the first eight points of the extra session before Hardaway delivered three straight three-pointers to put the Pistons ahead 123-122. Jimmy Butler’s putback layup put Miami back on top by one, but Cunningham’s banked in shot gave the Pistons a 125-124 lead with 37.5 seconds remaining as Detroit escaped with the win.
Cunningham finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 18 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season. “It’s what my job is, it’s what my responsibility is,” Cunningham said. “I just try to give it up for my teammates. Growing up that’s what I always dreamt of — being a guy that could do everything.” Malik Beasley made seven three-pointers on the way to a team-high 28 points to help the Pistons withstand Butler’s triple-double of 35 points, 19 rebounds and 10 steals. Butler added four steals and a blocked shot, but Miami failed to gain ground in the Eastern Conference led by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who improved their league-best record to 23-4 with a lopsided 130-101 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn. Evan Mobley scored 21 points to lead seven Cavs players who scored in double figures. Caris LeVert added 19 off the bench and Donovan Mitchell scored 18 for Cleveland, who led by as many as 37 points.
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The short-handed Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 40 points from Tyrese Maxey and 33 from Paul George, spoiled the return from injury of Hornets star LaMelo Ball with a 121-108 victory in Charlotte. Ball, who was averaging 31.1 points per game when he strained his calf on November 27, returned to action with 15 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists. Miles Bridges led Charlotte’s scoring with 24 points, but the 76ers led virtually all the way despite the absence of star center Joel Embiid and Rookie of the Year contender Jared McCain. The Sixers said Monday that Embiid would miss at least a week after suffering a sinus fracture on Saturday, and McCain needs surgery on a torn meniscus. George and Maxey picked up the slack, combining to score 44 of the Sixers’ 54 points in the first half. They finished with six three-pointers apiece as Philadelphia connected on 16 from beyond the arc.
The Chicago Bulls won a close one in Toronto, beating the Raptors 122-121. Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points to lead the Bulls, which had seven players score in double digits. That included Josh Giddey, who scored 11 points with nine rebounds and eight assists before departing after twisting his right ankle in the third quarter. RJ Barrett scored 32 points and Gradey Dick chipped in 27 for Toronto, but the Raptors came up short in their bid to erase a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
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