Cade Cunningham on Monday night 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 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 the Denver Nuggets 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 minutes, 5 seconds 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.
Photo: AFP
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.
Photo: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / USA Today
“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.
Photo: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / USA Today
In Sacramento, California, 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.
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, North Carolina.
Chicago won a close one in Toronto, with Nikola Vucevic scoring 24 points to lead the Bulls, which had seven players score in double digits, to a 122-121 victory over the Raptors.
In Inglewood, California, James Harden scored 24 of his 41 points in the first quarter as he led the Los Angeles Clippers to a 144-107 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Additional reporting by AP
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