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. It was just one of the nail-biting finishes on a night that saw Nikola Jokic post his 10th triple-double of the season for Denver in a 130-129 victory over the Sacramento Kings, while the Chicago Bulls edged the Raptors 122-121 in Toronto.
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.
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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 assists. 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.
In Sacramento, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic scored 20 points with 14 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nuggets, who came out on top in a frantic finish that featured seven lead changes in the last 1:15. Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 28 points, sealing the win with a pull-up basket off an assist from Jokic with 8.6 seconds remaining. Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points, Domantas Sabonis added 28, and Malik Monk scored 25 for the Kings, who trailed by as many as 23 in the first half but led 103-96 going into the fourth quarter.
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.
The Chicago Bulls won a close one in Toronto. 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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