Oklahoma City gave up the worst run ever in NBA play-by-play statistics – but still survived.
Dallas’ opponents went on a 30-0 fourth-quarter run at home Sunday (AEDT), coming back from 24 points behind to lead by six with 4:18 remaining in the contest.
But the Thunder then scored the last eight points of the match to win 126-120.
The Mavericks broke the record held by Cleveland, who went 29-0 against Milwaukee on December 6, 2009.
“Obviously, it’s a little strange way to win,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, “but I certainly don’t want to underestimate the mental toughness of the team. »
Josh Giddey played just 17 minutes, with 10 points on four of 13 shooting, one of eight Thunder players to reach double-digit points.
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Meanwhile, Houston coach Ime Udoka was ejected and LeBron James handed out a technical, after the two exchanged words during the Lakers’ 107-97 victory.
Referee JT Orr monitored the two men’s conversation and gave both men a technical, which was Udoka’s second of the match.
Paul George hit the game-winning three-pointer as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 22-point third-quarter deficit to stun the Golden State Warriors 113-112.
George finished with a game-high 25 points. Eleven of them came in the fourth quarter, when he finally put the Clippers ahead, for the first time in the game, with 9.9 seconds left, connecting from beyond the arc on a Klay Thompson helpless.
“I felt good as soon as I released it,” said George, who added six rebounds and six assists. “I had a good look at the basket, thank God it went in.”
The Warriors had one last chance, but Draymond Green missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
George said the comeback was especially significant against the Warriors’ potentially potent offense.
“They can score points so quickly,” he said. “The fact that we were able to come back, it shows a lot: this group is ready to fight and play until the end.”
James Harden added 21 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 20 for the Clippers, who held off 17 Warriors three-pointers.
Stephen Curry scored 22 points and distributed 11 assists for Golden State.
Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first triple-double of the season – 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists – helped the Milwaukee Bucks ultimately defeat the Atlanta Hawks 132-121 in a game that featured 17 lead changes.
Damian Lillard added 25 points and nine assists for the Bucks, who were tied 114-114 with less than six minutes remaining but outscored the Hawks 18-7 the rest of the game.
In Brooklyn, Mikal Bridges scored 42 points to set the tone for the Nets, who stopped the Orlando Magic’s nine-game winning streak with a 129-101 victory.
Bridges single-handedly dominated the Magic in the first quarter, scoring 26 points as the Nets took a 43-22 lead that put them on the path to victory.
What impressed Nets coach Jacque Vaughn about Bridges’ big first quarter was that “nothing was forced.”
“It was in the flow,” Vaughn said. “I thought his teammates around him put him in a great position for him to score the basketball and he took advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves.”
The Magic suffered their first loss since November 14 against the Nets, failing in their attempt to capture the first 10-game winning streak in franchise history.
Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony scored 20 points each for the Magic, who trailed by 25 points in the first half. They cut the deficit to nine late in the third quarter before the Nets pulled away again.
In Detroit, the Cleveland Cavaliers inflicted a 17th consecutive defeat on the Pistons, 110-101.
Max Strus and Darius Garland scored 22 points each for Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell added 20 and Jarrett Allen added 19 with 11 rebounds to keep the Pistons at bay.
Detroit opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 58-54 lead. They led by as many as eight before the Cavs fought back.
The Minnesota Timberwolves earned a dominating 123-117 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 28 points, including 10 in a fourth quarter that saw the lead change hands six times.
Rudy Gobert added 26 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, whose 15-4 record is tied with the Boston Celtics for best in the league.
ALL RESULTS
WARRIORS 112 CLIPPERS 113
TIMBERWOLVES 123 HORNETS 117
MAGIC 101 NETS 129
RIDERS 110 PISTONS 101
PACERS 144 HEAT 129
PELICANS 118 BULLS 124
FALCONS 121 BUCKS 132
THUNDER 126 MAVERICKS 120
GRIZZBEARS 109 SUNS 116
TRAIL BLAZERS 113 JAZZ 118 (OT)
NUGGETS 117 KINGS 123
ROCKETS 97 LAKERS 107
