The Oklahoma City Thunder mounted an impressive comeback from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime action Friday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made his presence felt immediately upon returning from an abdominal strain that had sidelined him since February 3rd, contributing 36 points to help Oklahoma City erase their early deficit. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren dominated the boards with a personal-best 21 rebounds while adding 15 points to the winning effort.
Despite Gilgeous-Alexander sitting out the extra period, the Thunder found success through Alex Caruso, who built on his strong late-game performance to finish with 12 points overall.
Denver’s Jamal Murray put together a spectacular offensive display with 39 points, including three long-range shots in the game’s final 30 seconds. Nikola Jokic nearly recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists, while Christian Braun matched Jokic’s scoring output with 23 points.
Pistons 122, Cavaliers 119 (OT)
Detroit’s Jalen Duren delivered a dominant performance with 33 points and 16 rebounds, leading the home team back from a nine-point late-regulation deficit to capture an overtime victory against Cleveland.
Cade Cunningham contributed 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists before fouling out during regulation for Detroit, which has now captured seven victories in their last eight contests. Ausar Thompson provided additional support with 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Cleveland was paced by Jarrett Allen’s 25 points and nine rebounds, but the Cavaliers have now dropped three of their past four games. The team played shorthanded without their regular starting backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell (groin injury) and James Harden (thumb injury).
Celtics 148, Nets 111
Boston dominated the second half to cruise past visiting Brooklyn, with Nikola Vucevic recording 28 points and 11 rebounds in just 25 minutes of action.
After holding just a six-point advantage midway through the third quarter, the Celtics exploded for an 82-54 second-half scoring advantage. Jaylen Brown contributed 28 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Boston, which connected on 66.7% of their field goal attempts while securing their 10th victory in 12 outings.
Brooklyn was led by Michael Porter Jr.’s 18 points, with Danny Wolf adding 16 points as the Nets extended their losing streak to seven games.
Grizzlies 124, Mavericks 105
Memphis received 25 points from Cam Spencer and a career-high performance from Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who recorded his first professional double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as the visiting Grizzlies handed Dallas their seventh consecutive home defeat.
Scotty Pippen Jr. provided 15 points for Memphis, which ended a three-game skid. GG Jackson and Jaylen Wells each scored 12 points in the victory.
Dallas received 16 points and eight rebounds from Brandon Williams, but the Mavericks have now lost 12 of their previous 14 contests. Daniel Gafford was efficient with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
Knicks 127, Bucks 98
Jalen Brunson exploded for 22 first-quarter points on his way to a game-high 27, powering visiting New York to a convincing win over Milwaukee.
OG Anunoby contributed 24 points while Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds for New York, which shot an impressive 21-for-42 (50%) from three-point range. Landry Shamet scored 15 points, Josh Hart added 12, and Mikal Bridges and Mohamed Diawara each contributed 10 points.
Milwaukee was led by Myles Turner’s 19 points, with Kyle Kuzma adding 17 and Bobby Portis contributing 14. Ryan Rollins scored 13 points while Kevin Porter Jr. recorded 11 points and 10 assists for the Bucks, who had previously won eight of their last 10 games.
