Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Cooper Flagg scored 23 points as the Dallas Mavericks dug deep to upset the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons 116-114 in a bruising overtime battle on Thursday. Number one draft pick Flagg excelled at both ends of the court to help the Mavs clinch a morale-boosting victory that sees them improve to 11-17 for the season. The 18-year-old Flagg finished with 10 rebounds, four assists, a steal and three blocks on a night when six Mavs players finished in double figures. Cade Cunningham led the Detroit scoring with 29 points as the Pistons fell to just their sixth defeat of the season.
“They’re a great team, with great players, but we stuck with it,” Flagg said. “We competed. We had the lead, they came back but we just stayed consistent and kept fighting.”
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In Indiana, Jalen Brunson nailed a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to give the New York Knicks a 114-113 victory over the Pacers in a rematch of last season’s NBA Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks appeared to be suffering a hangover from Tuesday’s NBA Cup final win over San Antonio as Indiana sprinted into a 35-25 lead after the first quarter before opening up a 16-point advantage in the third. But a fourth quarter rally saw New York claw their way back into the lead in the final seconds, with Brunson nailing a 27-footer from outside the arc to clinch victory.
Brunson finished with 25 points while Mikal Bridges added 22. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers scorers with 31 points. Brunson was unimpressed with his personal contribution, instead singling out Tyler Kolek for praise. Kolek finished with 16 points off the bench with 11 assists and six rebounds.
“I was garbage, start of the game,” Brunson said. “Then my stint in the second half, I was garbage as well. I want to thank the lord for Tyler Kolek for playing the way he’s playing and saving me.”
Oklahoma City Thunder shook off the disappointment of their NBA Cup semi-final loss to rally past the struggling Los Angeles Clippers 122-101. The Clippers led by 11 in the first quarter but the NBA champions came roaring back in the second and third to cruise to victory against a Los Angeles lineup that gave away 28 turnovers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City’s scoring with 32 points, Chet Holmgren added 22.
The Thunder improved to 25-2 for the season and remain firmly in control at the top of the Western Conference, 4.5 games clear of the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets improved to 20-6 with a 126-115 defeat of the Orlando Magic. Nikola Jokic posted a triple double for Denver with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists.
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