Cade Cunningham scored 22 points as the Detroit Pistons held off a late Denver Nuggets surge to claim a 109-107 road victory on Tuesday.

Detroit, now 34-11, looked comfortable after building an 18-point lead early in the second quarter, but the Nuggets — missing four key starters, including Nikola Jokic — fought back to cut the deficit to 107-106 with four seconds remaining. Jamal Murray had a chance to tie the game at the line with one second left but missed his second and third free throws, allowing the Pistons to escape with the win.

Thunder defeat Pelicans
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extended his streak of 20-point games to 118 straight as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 104-95. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points with six rebounds and four assists, moving closer to Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 126 consecutive 20-point games.

Chet Holmgren added 20 points and Isaiah Joe chipped in 17 off the bench. A post-game confrontation between Lu Dort and New Orleans’ Jeremiah Fears sparked a brief melee, which Thunder coach Mark Daigneault attributed to “lax officiating” in the final minutes.

Sixers overpower Bucks
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid and Paul George combined for 61 points as the 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 139-122. George hit nine three-pointers for 32 points, while Embiid contributed 29 and Tyrese Maxey 22. The Sixers improved to 25-21, and Milwaukee dropped to 18-27 after their third straight loss.

Embiid, recovering from a history of injuries, said, “Every single time I step on the floor I get emotional because the last few years have been extremely tough… I’m just happy to finally be consistent on the floor.”

Knicks cruise past Kings
The New York Knicks earned their third consecutive victory, defeating the Sacramento Kings 103-87 at Madison Square Garden. Jalen Brunson led the way with 28 points as the Knicks pulled away with a dominant 31-point fourth quarter. “It wasn’t pretty, but we were able to grind it out and find a way to win,” Brunson said.