RENAISSANCE MAN: After the Pistons’ Cunningham recorded his sixth triple-double of the season, he said he always dreamed of being a guy that could do everything
AFP, LOS ANGELES
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.
The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, center, jumps up for a shot on the Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis, right, during their NBA game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on Monday.
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.
The Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, left, dribbles as he is defended by the Miami Heat’s Dru Smith in their NBA game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on Monday.
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.
The Detroit Pistons’ Tim Hardaway Jr shoots over Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in their NBA game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on Monday.
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
