Pistons stop Heat in overtime thriller

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Cade Cunningham delivered a triple-double and Tim Hardaway Jr. came up big in overtime as the Detroit Pistons held off Miami 125-124 in a National Basketball Association (NBA) thriller on Monday 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 Denver 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 8:05 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.

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.

“It’s what my job is, it’s what my responsibility is,” Cunningham said.

“I just try to give it up for my teammates.”