Cavaliers 140 (31-22), Timberwolves 138 (34-23) (OT)
It’s fitting that the game that had it all needed five extra minutes. On a night with over 30 lead changes, an NBA record for made threes in a game (40), and some history for LeBron James, the Cavs pulled off a thrilling buzzer-beating win. Earlier, James became the Cavs’ all-time leading rebounder, putting him first in franchise history in points, rebounds, and assists. He finished with a triple-double (37 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds). He was also 5-7 from three, while JR Smith made six of his own (20 points). Karl-Anthony Towns made all six of his attempts and scored 30 points. Jimmy Butler had 35 points and four threes to lead Minnesota in scoring. Ultimately, it came down to a tie game in the final seconds of overtime, and the Timberwolves had a chance to win it. Then LeBron happened:
And the block that set up the shot (via @cavs) pic.twitter.com/UguEorQGjE
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 8, 2018
And there was never a doubt who would get the final shot:
🚨 LEBRON FOR THE WIN! 🚨 (via @cavs) pic.twitter.com/nQfZrSpRxg
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 8, 2018
Pistons 115 (27-26), Nets 106 (19-37)
The Pistons improved to 5-0 since trading for Blake Griffin, and his 25 points and seven assists were both team highs on Wednesday. Andre Drummond had 17 points and a jaw-dropping-yet-somehow-not-shocking 27 rebounds. It was Drummond’s 11th 20-rebound game of the season. Allen Crabbe had 34 points to lead the Nets.
Ish at the buzzer 🚨 (via @nba) pic.twitter.com/VD1naGJ3WO
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 8, 2018
Rockets 109 (40-13), Heat 101 (29-26)
If you haven’t noticed, when James Harden wants to score, it’s extremely difficult to stop him. He had 41 on Wednesday, including eight in a key two-minute stretch near the end of the fourth quarter. Houston has now won six in a row and 10 of its last 11. Goran Dragic and Josh Richardson each had 30 to lead the Heat.
CP3 will never run out of ways to give us highlights (via @HoustonRockets) pic.twitter.com/VMlMynkYFN
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 8, 2018
Jazz 92 (26-28), Grizzlies 88 (18-36)
The Jazz won their seventh straight game and swept their four-game road trip behind 29 points from Ricky Rubio. Rodney Hood added 18 off the bench. Though both teams struggled from the floor and combined for 34 turnovers, the Jazz went 28-33 from the foul line to provide the difference. Hood and Rubio combined to go 19-22 from the stripe. Andrew Harrison led the Grizzlies with 23.
🗣 “Dribble-drive inside, tough shot, BANK IT HOME!” –@BuckleUpBoler #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/3uRRoOqVHU
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 8, 2018
Spurs 129 (35-21), Suns 81 (18-38)
The Spurs led by a franchise NBA-record 38 points at halftime and never looked back, eventually building a 53-point lead in Phoenix. San Antonio led 28-9 after one quarter, then scored 41 points in the second. The Spurs shot just under 50 percent for the game and dominated Phoenix in every facet. LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 23 points. Alex Len scored 14 for the Suns.
Tough finish 💪 (via @spurs) pic.twitter.com/hdl6L9wjDn
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 8, 2018
