Josh Giddey triple-double, Miami Heat consecutive free throws made record, OKC Thunder, Steph Curry return, Golden State Warriors v Phoenix Suns, scores, results, highlights

The OKC Thunder were overran late by an undermanned Miami Heat 111-112 in a thriller on Wednesday (all times AEDT) despite Josh Giddey recording his sixth career triple-double.

Giddey finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists and also became just the fourth player in NBA history to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 500 assists in his first 100 games – joining Luka Doncic, Ben Simmons and George Hill.

It came in a contest the Heat shot an NBA-record 40-for-40 from the free throw line without a miss including a clutch go-ahead and-one from Jimmy Butler, who played a big part in the feat with 23-of-23 conversion at the swipe.

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It broke the old record of 39-for-39 made by Utah against Portland in 1982.

Miami trailed 111-106 with less than a minute remaining but fought back with a Victor Oladipo three-pointer and a Butler layup to tie the game.

Kenrich Williams then missed a pair of free throws, leading to Butler’s epic and-one play with 12.2 remaining.

OKC had one last chance to win the game, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s three-pointer bounced off the rim before a scramble for possession resulted in a jump ball with 0.8 left in a wild finish.

It proved to not be enough time for either side to get possession as the final buzzer sounded to signal a big Heat victory.

Butler ended with 35 points and also racked up seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks.

The Heat star said afterwards he’d been oblivious to Miami’s record-breaking night from the foul line.

“I had no idea,” Butler told reporters. “I’m more excited that we won this game by one point.”

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was also unaware of his team’s free-throw record. “I didn’t realise we hadn’t missed a free throw,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve been a very good free-throw shooting team all year, but that’s crazy.”

Gilgeous-Alexander topscored for the OKC with 26, adding four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Earlier, Dewayne Dedmon was ejected for throwing a massage gun onto the court after an argument with Heat officials including coach Erik Spoelstra in a bizarre sequence.

Miami improved to 22-20 with the win while the Thunder fell to 18-23.

“We had to make some plays and we did,” Spoelstra said of his team’s last-minute rally.

STEPH RETURNS… BUT WARRIORS STUNNED BY DEPLETED SUNS

The Golden State Warriors have been stunned by the severely undermanned Phoenix Suns, losing 125-113 at home in a one-sided affair despite Steph Curry returning to get the reigning champions back to full strength.

Playing without an array of its regular rotation including star trio Chris Paul, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton – and horribly out of form form in the midst of a six-game losing streak – Phoenix simply came out with more energy and intent including pushing ahead 59-45 by half-time.

The Suns would then continue their surge in the third term, leading by as much as 27 at one stage as the fans at Chase Centre were left stunned.

But as all good teams do, the Warriors responded, gradually clawing their way back into the game including going on a 23-12 run in the fourth capped off by a Jordan Poole three to get within six with 1:28 remaining.

Damion Lee, who finished 22 points and seven rebounds, calmly sank six-straight free throws down the stretch though – en route to going a perfect 14-of-14 from the line on the night – to shut the door on his former side.

With it, the Suns extended their season series record against the Warriors to 3-0 and got back to .500 overall at 21-21.

Elsewhere, Mikal Bridges racked up 26 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks, Dario Saric had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven dimes, Torrey Craig registered 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks and Duane Washington Jr. recorded 21 points and five assists.

Aussie Jock Landale tallied six points, for boards and one steal in 22 minutes off the bench.

For the Warriors, Klay Thompson poured in 29 points with six threes, Poole added 27 points off the bench with five rebounds and six assists and Draymond Green complied five points, 12 boards, six assists and three steals.

Curry, who’d missed the last 11 games with a shoulder injury, scored 24 points, but his shot was rusty, going at 8-of-22 from the field and 5-of-15 from beyond the arc.

It marked the Warriors’ third-straight loss to fall to 20-21 on the season.

ELSEWHERE …

Joel Embiid returned from injury to deliver a 36-point performance as the Philadelphia 76ers thrashed the injury-hit Detroit Pistons 147-116.

The 28-year-old Sixers ace had missed three straight games with a minor foot injury heading into Wednesday’s Eastern Conference clash in Philadelphia.

But the two-time MVP runner-up looked back to his dominant self in just 23 minutes on court as Philadelphia romped to a 147-116 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.

Embiid’s points tally came from 12-of-20 shooting, while the Sixers big man also chipped in with 11 rebounds and two blocks.

James Harden and Tyrese Maxey added 16 points each while Tobias Harris had 14 points as Philadelphia led from start to finish to improve to 25-15.

Harden’s points tally was part of a second straight triple double. The 10-time All-Star added 12 rebounds and 15 assists.

In Los Angeles, Kawhi Leonard’s 33 points helped the Clippers complete a 113-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Luka Doncic led the game scoring with 43 points for Dallas, but the Mavs were chasing the game from the outset as the Clippers completed a wire-to-wire win.

In Salt Lake City, Jordan Clarkson’s 32-point performance, including a crucial 9-0 run in the fourth quarter, helped the Utah Jazz upset the high-flying Cleveland Cavaliers 116-114.

Lauri Markkanen added support with 25 points while Malik Beasley, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker all chipped in with 13 points each.

Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell produced another high-scoring performance with 46 points in his return to Utah, but it was not enough to deny his former team the victory.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, Mitchell’s 46 points were the second-most in a player’s first road game against their former team, trailing only John Williamson, who recorded 50 points against the Pacers in 1978.

ALL RESULTS

PISTONS 116 76ERS 147

THUNDER 111 HEAT 112

HORNETS 120 RAPTORS 132

CAVALIERS 114 JAZZ 116

SUNS 125 WARRIORS 113

MAGIC 109 TRAIL BLAZERS 106

MAVERICKS 101 CLIPPERS 113