Chet Holmgren produced 15 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points in his return from injury, lifting the title. The Oklahoma City Thunder earned a 127-121 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets on Friday.
Gilgeous-Alexander, playing in his first game since suffering an abdominal strain on Feb. 3, helped the Thunder overcome an early 16-point deficit.
However, in overtime, Gilgeous-Alexander remained on the bench. It didn’t matter, because Alex Caruso continued his momentum as soon as regulation time ended. He finished with 12 points.
Denver’s Jamal Murray scored a three-pointer in the final 30 seconds to finish with 39 points. Nikola Jokic finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists while teammate Christian Braun also scored 23.
Pistons 122, Cavaliers 119 (OT)
Jalen Duren scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as host Detroit rallied from a nine-point deficit late in regulation to win in overtime against Cleveland.
Cade Cunningham provided 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists before fouling out in regulation for the Pistons, who have won seven of their last eight games. Ausar Thompson had 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Jarrett Allen’s 25 points and nine rebounds led the Cavaliers, who have lost three of the last four games. Cleveland played without its starting backcourt, Donovan Mitchell (groin) and James Harden (thumb).
Nikola Vucevic had 28 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes as Boston pulled away in the second half for a win over Brooklyn.
The Celtics, who had a six-point lead midway through the third quarter, outscored the Nets 82-54 in the second half. Jaylen Brown had 28 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Boston, which made 66.7 percent of its field goal attempts while earning its 10th win in 12 games.
Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 18 points. Danny Wolf scored 16 as the Nets lost their seventh straight game.
Cam Spencer scored 25 points and Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds – his first career double-double – as visiting Memphis handed Dallas its seventh straight home loss.
Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 15 points for the Grizzlies, who snapped a three-game losing streak. GG Jackson and Jaylen Wells had 12 points each.
Brandon Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who have lost 12 of their last 14 games. Daniel Gafford added 14 points on 7 of 8 shooting.
Jalen Brunson scored 22 of his 27 points in the first quarter, helping visiting New York earn a victory over Milwaukee.
OG Anunoby added 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds for New York, which shot 21 of 42 (50%) on 3-point attempts. Landry Shamet scored 15 points, while Josh Hart scored 12 and Mikal Bridges and Mohamed Diawara scored 10 each.
Myles Turner led Milwaukee with 19 points, followed by Kyle Kuzma with 17 and Bobby Portis with 14. Ryan Rollins scored 13, while Kevin Porter Jr. finished with 11 points and 10 assists for the Bucks, who had won eight of their previous 10 games.
–Field media/Reuters
