NBA Weekend Features Buzzer-Beater and Playoff Previews
The NBA returned from its All-Star break with a weekend of high-profile games. Highlights included a double-overtime, game-winning buzzer-beater by the Rockets' Jalen Green on Saturday. An 11-game slate on Sunday featured several matchups with potential postseason implications.
- The game-winning shot by Jalen Green of the Phoenix Suns secured a 113-110 double-overtime victory against the Orlando Magic. Orlando's Jevon Carter had just tied the game with a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining before Green's buzzer-beater. - Green's game-winner was a dramatic turnaround after a poor shooting performance for most of the game; prior to the final shot, he had made only 5 of his 25 field goal attempts and just one of his ten 3-point attempts. - The Suns were short-handed, playing without star Devin Booker due to a hip injury and losing Dillon Brooks to a hand injury just seven minutes into the game. Grayson Allen stepped up in his return from a four-game absence, leading Phoenix with 27 points. - One of Sunday's key matchups featured the Golden State Warriors, led by two-time MVP Stephen Curry, hosting the Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić. - Another high-profile Sunday game saw the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, facing the Cleveland Cavaliers, who entered the game on a five-game winning streak. - The New York Knicks staged a major comeback against the Houston Rockets, erasing an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 108-106. Jalen Brunson hit the go-ahead jumper with just under 30 seconds left. - For the Orlando Magic, Desmond Bane scored 34 points before fouling out in overtime, while Paolo Banchero contributed 26 points and 14 rebounds in the loss to Phoenix. - The Suns' victory improved their record to 33-24, keeping them in the seventh-place spot in a tight Western Conference playoff race.
