Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell had some advice for his team Friday before facing the heavily favored Thunder in Oklahoma City.
"I told them, 'They’re going to try to put us away early,'" Mitchell said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We just have to hang in there early."
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The T-Wolves (21-45) did more than hang around early. Ricky Rubio nailed a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining to give Minnesota a stunning 99-96 upset on the Thunder's home court. Andrew Wiggins deserves some kudos for a great kick-out assist on the play.
Thunder stars Kevin Durant (28 points) and Russell Westbrook (26) did what they do every night, helping the Thunder (44-21) build a seven-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes to play. But Minnesota fought back.
Gorgui Dieng scored 25 to lead the T-Wolves, while Rubio finished with 13 points and 12 assists.
Meanwhile, the Hornets continued their red-hot ways, beating the Pistons 118-103 in Charlotte. The Hornets have won six straight and 12 of of their past 14 games. Marvin Williams scored 22 points, tying a career-high with five 3-pointers (on eight attempts).
The Hornets are 36-28 and fifth in the Eastern Conference, thanks in large part to Williams. The 6-9 forward is averaging 10.4 points per game this season, but he's averaged 14.6 points over his past eight games. Williams has also stretched defenses with his long-range shooting (23 of 47 from behind the arc in those eight games).
Highlights:
When Anthony Davis is flying through the air like this, it's best to just get out of the way to avoid getting posterized:
Goran Dragić deserves style points for this floating assist on a monster slam by Hassan Whiteside.
Aaron Gordon gets some serious style points on this alley-oop:
Studs of the night:
Remember last weekend, when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson went a combined 1 for 18 from 3-point land in an embarrassing loss to the Lakers? There were whispers along the lines of, "What if this becomes a trend?" Well, the Splash Brothers have put that mini-slump behind them. Thompson scored 37 points Friday night and Curry added 34 in a 128-112 thumping of the Trail Blazers. Thompson hit 8 of 11 from behind the arc while Curry went 7 for 14 from long range.
Lance Stephenson's up-and-down career reached new heights Friday night as he scored a career-high 33 points to lead the Grizzlies to a 121-114 overtime win over the Pelicans. The 6-5 forward added seven rebounds and four assists. Stephenson's career has found new life since the Grizzlies acquired him in a trade with the Clippers Feb. 18. After seeing limited playing time in LA — he went the entire month of January with only one game of double-figures scoring — he's averaged 13.8 points per game in 11 games with Memphis.
While Stephenson was great for the Grizzlies, veteran forward Matt Barnes posted his first career triple-double with 26 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds in the Memphis win.
Dud of the night:
Damian Lillard scored 17 points against the Warriors on Friday, but he hit only 5 of 19 shots. It's not exactly a performance he would like to remember.
What's next:
Heat (38-27) at Raptors (43-20), 7 p.m. ET — Two of the Eastern Conference's best face off in a game that could affect playoff seedings. Toronto could still earn the No. 1 seed (the Raptors are 2 1/2 games behind the Cavaliers for the top seed) but barring a total collapse seem slated for at least the No. 2 seed. Meanwhile, the Heat could improve to the No. 3 seed (they're a half-game behind the Celtics for that spot now), but a poor finish could send them falling to the seventh or even eighth seed. Toronto has won two of the three meetings between the teams.
Thunder (44-21) at Spurs (55-10), 8:30 p.m. ET — Plenty of star power on the floor here with Durant, Westbrook, Aldridge, Leonard, Parker, etc. It would not be a surprise to see these teams meet in the playoffs. While they have met only once this season — Oklahoma City won the season opener — they'll meet twice in the final 10 games of the year.