Wolves survive Kings in 2OT to snap 11-game losing streak

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Andrew Wiggins scored the first basket of the second overtime and then fed Robert Covington for another score, and the Minnesota Timberwolves ended their 11-game losing streak by beating the Sacramento Kings 105-104 on Thursday night (Friday, Manila time).

Wiggins finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Gorgui Dieng had 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Covington scored 19 for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota hadn't won since Nov. 27 before limiting Sacramento to 11 points in the fourth quarter and then outlasting the Kings in two overtimes. The Wolves did it without Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed his fifth straight game with a left knee sprain.

Wiggins got the Wolves going in the second OT with a short jumper that started a 6-0 run. After Jeff Teague made a floater, Wiggins passed to Covington for a layup.

Dieng's dunk with 3:11 left put Minnesota up 10599. Buddy Hield scored five straight points for Sacramento to close the gap, but the Wolves held on.

Richaun Holmes had 20 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for the Kings, who have their own injury concerns.

Luka Doncic flirts with triple-double in return as Mavericks hold off Spurs

DALLAS — Luka Doncic returned to the Dallas lineup after missing four games due to injury and scored 24 points, helping the Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs 102-98 on Thursday night (Friday, Manila time).

Doncic finished with 10 rebounds and eight assists and barely missed adding to his NBA-leading total of eight triple doubles. He last played on Dec. 14 against Miami, when he sprained his right ankle.

San Antonio rallied from a 102-85 deficit by scoring the game’s final 13 points. After Doncic missed two free throws, the Spurs’ Derrick White missed a 3-point attempt with six seconds left and Doncic got the rebound.

The Mavericks (20-10) pulled within half a game of idle first-place Houston in the Southwest Division.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points, Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian FinneySmith each had 13, and Delon Wright added 12 off the bench. Dwight Powell’s 11 points all came in the first half.

DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio with 21 points, 16 in the second half. Rudy Gay scored 18, LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 and White finished with 10.

Grizzlies protect lead this time after huge collapse vs Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY — Jonas Valanciunas scored 21 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20 and the Memphis Grizzlies held onto the lead this time against Oklahoma City, beating the Thunder 11097 Thursday night (Friday, Manila time) in the second meeting between the teams in eight days.

Tyus Jones added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting for Memphis, which blew a 24-point third-quarter lead during its last visit to Oklahoma City on December 18 and lost 126-122. That started a stretch in which the Grizzles dropped three out of four games.

The burly Valanciunas went 9 of 11 from the field and fueled an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter that essentially put the game away.

Brandon Clarke scored

15 points for Memphis, going 6 of 7 from the floor.

Steven Adams scored 16 points for the Thunder.

Knicks show defense, hold Nets to worst shooting performance this season

NEW YORK — Julius Randle had 33 points and eight rebounds, and the New York Knicks forced the Brooklyn Nets into the worst shooting performance in the NBA this season in a 94-82 victory Thursday night (Friday, Manila time).

Brooklyn finished 21 of 78 (26.9%) from the field. Chicago had the previous worst shooting game this season when it hit 29.9% against Toronto exactly two months earlier.

Marcus Morris added 22 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Elfrid Payton scored 13 points as New York won for the first time in three meetings with Brooklyn this season.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points but was only 5 for 15 for the Nets.

Griffin, Drummond show way as shorthanded Pistons get back at Wizards

DETROIT — Blake Griffin had 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons routed the Washington Wizards 132-102 on Thursday night (Friday, Manila time) in a matchup of short-handed teams.

The Pistons were missing

Reggie Jackson (back) and Luke Kennard (knee), while Griffin, Bruce Brown and Derrick Rose played through injuries.

John Wall, Davis Bertans, Isaiah Thomas, Thomas Bryant and Rui Hachimura sat out for Washington.

Detroit, which had already lost twice to the Wizards, got 14 points and 10 rebounds from Andre Drummond. Pistons coach Dwane Casey was able to use the lopsided margin to rest his key players, including sitting Griffin for the fourth quarter.

Christian Wood finished with 22 points and Todd Frazier scored 18 for Detroit, which had eight players in double figures.

Anzejs Pasecniks scored a career-high 17 in his fifth NBA game to lead the Wizards. Bradley Beal had 15 points.

Despite a makeshift lineup, the Wizards were able to stay close early, taking advantage of Detroit’s defensive rebounding issues. Washington pulled down 45% of their own misses in the first quarter. But, the Pistons moved out to a 6848 lead by halftime.

The Pistons have struggled all season in the third quarter. They were able to keep the momentum going against the Wizards, pushing their lead to 29 points, 89-60, midway through the period.

Detroit led by as many as 33 points in the quarter.