There were eight games on tap around the NBA on Tuesday, but only three of them featured teams with winning records and a legit shot at making the playoffs. We recap all three here:
Wolves Rally Past Thunder Behind Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards
Jaden McDaniels made the big shots and Anthony Edwards made the clutch defensive stop to help the Minnesota Timberwolves (32-27) pull out a 131-128 come-from-behind win against the Oklahoma City Thunder (46-11) in overtime at Paycom Center.
McDaniels finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds and scored on a tough and-1 to tie the game 121 and complete the Wolves’ comeback from 25 down in the second half. The Wolves were still down 121-105 with less than five minutes left when they scored the final 16 points—including from McDaniels and five from Naz Reid—of the fourth quarter.
Reid added 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Edwards fired 17 points on top of 13 boards and 8 dimes. His lone block on a driving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also sealed the win. SGA top-scored for the Thunder with 39 points to go along with his 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Jalen Williams had 27 markers, 6 boards, and 6 dimes.
Up next:
Wolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers on February 28
Thunder vs. Brooklyn Nets on February 27
Pistons Stifle Clippers, Win Eighth Straight
The Detroit Pistons (32-26) are full steam ahead, notching their eighth straight win with a 106-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers (31-26) at Little Caesars Arena.
Cade Cunningham led the way with his game-high 32 points on top of 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Tobias Harris fired 20 markers, while Jaren Duren had 12 points and 19 rebounds for the Pistons, who stifled the Clippers to 40% shooting overall on a woeful 11-for-41 from downtown.
James Harden paced the Clippers with 18 points and 12 rebounds but was just 5-for-22 from the field and had 7 turnovers. Ivica Zubac, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Kris Dunn all chipped in 13 as Los Angeles played minus Kawhi Leonard, Norm Powell, and Ben Simmons.
Up next:
Pistons vs. Boston Celtics on February 27
Clippers vs. Chicago Bulls on February 27
Nuggets Frustrate Pacers as Nikola Jokic Bounces Back
Nikola Jokic bounced back from a nightmare game against the Los Angeles Lakers the other day to lead the Denver Nuggets (38-20) to a 125-116 triumph over the Indiana Pacers (32-24) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Jokic finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 19 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block to lead the Nuggets, who used strong first and third quarters to frustrate the home team. The Joker’s 19 assists are a career-high for the three-time MVP. Aaron Gordon chipped in 25 points, while Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray added 19 and 16, respectively.
Myles Turner spearheaded the Pacers’ attack with 23 points, while Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam added 19 apiece. Siakam added 9 boards and Haliburton dished 15 dimes as well.
Up next:
Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks on February 28
Pacers vs. Toronto Raptors on February 27
