NEW YORK — Blake Griffin generated the buzz, but it was Anthony Tolliver who made the key plays down the stretch to help the Detroit Pistons create a winning streak. Tolliver scored five points in the last 1:48 and won a crucial jump ball in the final seconds to help the Pistons earn a 104-102 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
The Pistons won their second straight after losing their previous eight games. Much of the focus was on Griffin, the five-time All-Star who made his Detroit debut after coming over from the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster trade on Monday.
Griffin delivered with 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. One of the assists came with 1:48 remaining when he found Tolliver open on the wing for a 3-pointer that gave Detroit a 101-100 lead. Marc Gasol led Memphis with 19 points and 14 rebounds, but he missed a half-court shot as time expired.
Nuggets 127, Thunder 124
Gary Harris hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift host Denver to a dramatic victory over Oklahoma City. The Nuggets never trailed but blew all of a 20-point lead and were in a 124-124 deadlock when the Thunder's Paul George knocked down a step-back 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left. However, Nikola Jokic capped ninth career triple-double by throwing an accurate pass to Harris, who shot over Russell Westbrook for the winner.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 33 points while Jokic totaled 29 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds. George led all scorers 43 points, 14 of them in the fourth quarter. Westbrook totaled 20 points and 21 assists.
Wizards 122, Raptors 119
Bradley Beal scored 27 points as host Washington won its third consecutive game since losing All-Star point guard John Wall to a knee injury, beating Toronto.
Otto Porter finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Markieff Morris added 15 points for Washington, which won the rebounding battle 44-32. Kyle Lowry scored 29 points and DeMar DeRozan added 23 for Toronto.
Timberwolves 108, Bucks 89
Jimmy Butler had 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead Minnesota over visiting Milwaukee.
Khris Middleton had 21 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead Milwaukee, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Towns and Butler were both efficient from the field — Towns hit 10 of 13 and Butler made 8 of 15.
Rockets 102, Spurs 91
James Harden poured in 28 points, including seven in a key final stretch over the last two minutes, as visiting Houston rolled past San Antonio. Harden also pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Rockets to their second win this season in two tries against their Lone Star State rivals. Danny Green led the Spurs with 22 points.
After trailing by double digits for most of the game, San Antonio got within 92-85 on Bryn Forbes' 3-pointer with 2:49 to play. Harden answered, as the Rockets had all game, with a 3-pointer and then added another that turned into a four-point play with 1:36 remaining to seal the win.
Magic's Gordon heads
Slam Dunk field
Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon, the runner-up in the 2016 NBA Slam Dunk contest, will look to capture the crown this month. The Slam Dunk contest, Three-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will be held Feb. 16 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, the day before the same venue will host the All-Star Game.
Joining Gordon in the dunk-competition field are All-Star Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, forward Larry Nance Jr. of the hometown Los Angeles Lakers and rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks.
Last year's winner, Indiana's Glenn Robinson III, is sidelined following ankle surgery. Nance's father beat Julius Erving to capture the first NBA dunk contest in 1984.
Defending champion Eric Gordon heads the field for the Three-Point Shootout. He will compete against the Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson, the Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal, the Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George, the Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry, the Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker, the Miami Heat's Wayne Ellington and the Los Angeles Clippers' Tobias Harris.Thompson, George, Beal and Lowry are All-Stars this year. New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis will look to repeat as champion in the Skills Challenge. His competition consists of the Brooklyn Nets' Spencer Dinwiddie, the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, the Boston Celtics' Al Horford, the Chicago Bulls' Lauri Markkanen, the Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell, the Denver Nuggets' Jamal Murray and the Clippers' Lou Williams.
Porzingis, Embiid and Horford also will play in the All-Star Game. The Skills Challenge features an obstacle course that displays the players' abilities at dribbling, passing, agility and shooting. — Reuters
