Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points as the Miami Heat’s recent resurgence continued with a 137-117 upset of the Detroit Pistons.
Miami, who started the NBA campaign with four successive losses, improved to 7-6 to move above .500 for the first time this season with a burst of scoring either side of half-time.
After outscoring the Pistons 31-21 in the second quarter, Miami followed that up with 35 points in the third to pull clear of the visitors.
Antetokounmpo finished with 34 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists while fellow off-season signing Klay Thompson hit six three-pointers on his way to 26 points.
Detroit star Cade Cunningham, who had scored 52 in his previous outing, led the Pistons with 33 points.
“I’m in a great rhythm right now and I’m gonna try and stay in it as much as I can,” Thompson said. “I’m having a great time on top of all that.”
Thompson’s flurry of three-pointers included one directly after a between-the-legs, no-look pass from Antetokounmpo that resembled an NFL snap.
“That was an incredible snap,” Thompson said. “That was testament to Giannis’s skill level. People get enamored with his ability to dunk and run, but my goodness – he’s like magic at times with his vision.”
The Chicago Bulls also enjoyed an upset victory, taking down the high-flying Minnesota Timberwolves 117-106 on the road.
Norman Powell scored 23 points, with five rounds and three assists, as the Bulls grabbed only their third win of the season.
In Cleveland, Tyrese Proctor's triple-double helped the short-handed Cavaliers claim a 127-117 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Proctor finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for a Cavaliers side missing their entire regular starting line-up, with the likes of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Jarrett Allen all rested due to the team's travel delay caused by the nationwide grounding of flights in the US.
Former Cleveland star Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 34 points, including seven three-pointers.
Elsewhere, the Denver Nuggets improved to 7-4 with a 116-108 defeat of the New Orleans Pelicans on the road.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 26 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds while Jamal Murray added 23 points.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
