Cooper Flagg had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Davis scored two pivotal baskets in overtime and the host Dallas Mavericks held off the Detroit Pistons, 116-114, on Thursday.
Naji Marshall supplied 16 points, while Davis contributed 15 points with 14 rebounds. Brandon Williams added 14 points while P.J. Washington had 13 for Dallas, which blew an 18-point lead.
Cade Cunningham led the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Jalen Duren had 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Isaiah Stewart tossed in 14 points with seven rebounds.
Detroit forward Ausar Thompson was ejected during the second quarter for making contact with an official while arguing a foul call.
Davis’ putback dunk with 3:11 left in overtime gave Dallas a 114-112 lead. Cunningham tied it with a bank shot but Davis answered with a dunk. The Pistons missed three shots in the last eight seconds of overtime, allowing the Mavericks to escape.
Dallas grabbed a 66-57 halftime lead. The Mavericks extended the lead to 15 by opening the second half with a 9-3 run.
A Davis 3-pointer with 5:54 left in the third stretched the advantage to 18 points. The Pistons went deep into their bench and cut the deficit to 12, 91-79, by the end of the quarter.
The Pistons kept chipping away, opening the fourth on a 12-2 run to pull within two points. Detroit took the lead at 99-97 midway through the quarter on a Stewart dunk. The Mavericks regained the lead at 104-103 with 2:39 remaining on a Marshall bucket. A Davis putback gave Dallas a three-point edge.
Cunningham scored on consecutive possessions to put his team on top. Jenkins made two free throws with 59 seconds left for a 109-106 Detroit lead.
Flagg scored on Dallas’ next two possessions to put his team up by one. Davis then fouled Stewart with 3.4 seconds left but Stewart only made one free throw, tying the score at 110-all. Klay Thompson missed a midrange jumper, sending the game into overtime.
