Washington (AFP) – Cade Cunningham’s triple double, Daniss Jenkins’s three-pointer at the buzzer, and Javonte Green’s overtime dunk lifted Detroit past Washington 137-135 on Monday, stretching the Pistons’ win streak to seven games. In an unexpected thriller, the NBA’s second-best team barely outlasted a Wizards club that fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss.
“We knew how big this game was for us,” Jenkins said. “We wasn’t going to let nothing stop us from getting this W.” Cunningham made 14-of-45 shots and 16-of-18 free throws for a career-high 46 points and added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, and two blocked shots as Detroit improved to 9-2.
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“He’s the one who is going to lead this team whatever we do,” Detroit’s Jalen Duren said of Cunningham. “And to see him fight through and be the great player he is gave us the confidence.” Jenkins came off the bench for a career-high 24 points and eight rebounds while Duren added 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons.
C.J. McCollum, who led Washington with 42 points, sank a floater with 14 seconds remaining to give the Wizards a 126-121 lead. But Jenkins, who hadn’t played in three games, sank a three-pointer with three seconds remaining and, after a Kyshawn George free throw for Washington, hit another three-pointer at the buzzer to equalize at 127-127 and force overtime.
“I know what I’m capable of. I just had to believe in myself and trust in my work,” Jenkins said. Added Duren: “He never shies away from the moment. He’s going to be a great player in this league and that showed tonight.” In the extra session, Duncan Robinson’s three-pointer gave Detroit the lead, and Green’s dunk made it 136-133 with 25 seconds remaining. George added a layup for the Wizards, and Duren sank a free throw to create the final margin and McCollum missed two three-point attempts in the dying seconds.
In another overtime drama, Norman Powell scored 33 points, and Andrew Wiggins added 23, including the winning dunk at the overtime buzzer to lift Miami over Cleveland 140-138, ending the Cavaliers’ four-game win streak to leave both clubs 7-4. Jaime Jaquez’s jumper with 7.1 seconds remaining lifted Miami level at 128-128 to force overtime. Powell sank two free throws with 6.5 seconds left for a 138-135 Miami edge, but Donovan Mitchell, who led the Cavs with 28 points, made a three-pointer with 0.4 of a second remaining to equalize. Miami, however, won at the buzzer when Wiggins made an alley-oop dunk off a pass from Nikola Jovic.
Another tension-packed contest came in Orlando, where Desmond Bane’s three-pointer at the final buzzer gave the host Magic a 115-112 home victory over Portland. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 28 points while Bane added 22, missing all five of his three-point shots before hitting the game winner.
– Wemby sparks Spurs – Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominating performance with 38 points, 12 rebounds, five blocked shots, and five assists to lead the San Antonio Spurs in a 121-117 triumph at Chicago. The Frenchman was 11-of-19 from the floor, including six-of-nine from three-point range, and 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
Luka Doncic had a game-high 38 points with seven assists and six rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers in a 121-111 victory at Charlotte. Austin Reaves added 24 points, and Japan’s Rui Hachimura contributed 21 for the Lakers. Czech reserve guard Vit Krejci scored a career-high 28 points, hitting nine-of-13 shots from the floor — eight-of-10 from three-point range — to lead the Atlanta Hawks over the host Los Angeles Clippers 105-102. James Harden matched a club record with his seventh triple double for the Clippers with 35 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds but the team’s losing streak reached five games.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and added eight rebounds and six assists in a 116-114 Bucks victory at Dallas. Grayson Allen scored 42 points, hitting 12-of-17 shots from the floor and 10-of-15 three-pointers to lead host Phoenix over New Orleans 121-98. Anthony Edwards scored 35 points and Julius Randle added 27 to power Minnesota’s 120-113 victory at Utah.
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