NBA: Detroit Falls in Dallas, Doncic Leads the Lakers

Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) - The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Detroit Pistons, leaders of the Eastern Conference, in overtime thanks notably to Cooper Flagg, while Luka Doncic carried the Lakers to victory against Utah with a phenomenal triple-double on Thursday in the NBA.

The Mavs in Overtime

The number one pick of the last draft, Flagg was excellent both defensively and offensively and greatly contributed to Dallas's victory (116-114 OT): he scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, made 4 assists, one steal, and three blocks during a night where six Mavericks players reached double digits in points.

This prestigious win against the Eastern leader should boost the morale of the Texans, whose record of 11 wins and 17 losses places them 11th in the Western Conference.

On the other side, Cade Cunningham finished as Detroit's top scorer with 29 points but could not prevent the Pistons from suffering their 6th loss of the season (against 21 wins).

"It's a huge team with huge players, but we didn't give up," Flagg said proudly. "We resisted, we were ahead, they came back, but we managed to stay in the game and fight until the end."

Doncic's Monster Performance

Luka Doncic delivered a monstrous game to help the Lakers win on the Utah Jazz's court (143-135): the Slovenian recorded a triple-double with 45 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists.

LeBron James contributed 28 points in a game where the Lakers' starting five all scored at least 10 points individually.

The California franchise is currently 4th in the Western Conference (19-7), far ahead of the Jazz (12th, 10-16).

New York Wins by One Point

The Knicks won by a single point on the Indiana Pacers' court (114-113) thanks to a three-pointer by Jalen Brunson with 4 seconds left on the clock.

New York struggled to get into the game, their first since winning the NBA Cup final against San Antonio on Tuesday, and found themselves trailing 35-25 after the first quarter. The Pacers even had a 16-point lead in the third quarter.

But the Knicks woke up, caught up, and snatched the victory on a long-range shot by Brunson.

Brunson finished as the Knicks' top scorer (25 points) while the game's top scorer was Andrew Nembhard with 31 points for the Pacers.

"I was very bad at the start of the game. And I had a very bad stretch after halftime, but I want to thank the Lord for making Tyler Kolek play the way he did and for saving me," Brunson commented.

Starting as a substitute, Kolek finished with 16 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds.

OKC Recovers from NBA Cup Disappointment

Leader of the Eastern Conference and best team so far this season, Oklahoma City has bounced back from its disappointment after losing in the NBA Cup semifinals: at home, the Thunder dominated the Los Angeles Clippers 122-101.

The Californians had an 11-point lead in the first quarter, but the reigning NBA champion recovered during the next two periods to build a decisive lead.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished as OKC's top scorer with 32 points and Chet Holmgren added 22.

With 25 wins and 2 losses this season, the Thunder remains comfortably at the top of the Western Conference and is favored to defend its title.

Second in the conference, the Denver Nuggets secured their 20th win of the season (against 6 losses) by beating the Orlando Magic 126-115.

Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double for the Nuggets (23 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists).