Bold headline: Rudy Gobert stuns Curry on his return, flipping a busy night into a Wolves victory.
In a high-octane showdown at Chase Center, Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Golden State Warriors 127-120, even without Anthony Edwards. Gobert, returning to form after a 27-point, 14-rebound double-double on 11 of 13 two-point attempts, stood tall for Minnesota. Donte DiVincenzo contributed 21 points, delivering a crucial back-creaking three with 28 seconds remaining. The Warriors, despite Stephen Curry pouring in a game-high 39 points, couldn’t complete the comeback. Dutch forward Quinten Post added 16 for Golden State, while rookie Malevy Leonsinactive, and JoHan Beringer’s status was limited to G League action with the Iowa Wolves during the night’s rotation shuffles.
Elsewhere on Friday night, the Chicago Bulls erased a 13-point deficit to topple the Charlotte Hornets 129-126, snapping a seven-game skid. Nikola Vucevic and Matas Buzelis started for Chicago, finishing with 13 and 10 points respectively before ceding crunch-time roles. Noa Essengue remains out for the season after left shoulder surgery, while Moussa Diabate, back from knee soreness, managed two points and Tidjane Salaun scored five.
In Detroit, Atlanta’s visit to Little Caesars Arena ended in a 142-115 loss for the Hawks after a prior absence by Kristaps Porzingis due to illness. Risacher and Krejci reached ten and eight points for Atlanta, with Djurisic and Ndiaye contributing from the affiliate channels. The Pistons even assigned Swedish big man Bobi Klintman to the Motor City Cruise for development.
Utah received a burst from Lauri Markkanen, who tallied 26 points to fuel a 130-126 win over Memphis in FedExForum. Jusuf Nurkic added a 13-point, 17-rebound double-digit performance with seven assists, and Svi Mykhailiuk chipped in six. Santi Aldama led Utah’s attack with 22 points under coach Tuomas Iisalo, bringing a European-flavored lineup into the spotlight.
In Washington, Donovan Mitchell exploded for 24 points in the fourth quarter as Cleveland erased a late deficit to beat the Wizards 130-126 at Capital One Arena. With Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr sidelined by injuries, Tristan Vukcevic contributed 14 for Cleveland as the hosts battled through the game’s closing minutes.
Over in Philadelphia, Adem Bona sat out for the 76ers as they defeated Indiana 115-105 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Friday results recap
- Charlotte Hornets 126, Chicago Bulls 129
- Detroit Pistons 142, Atlanta Hawks 115
- Philadelphia 76ers 115, Indiana Pacers 105
- Washington Wizards 126, Cleveland Cavaliers 130
- Memphis Grizzlies 126, Utah Jazz 130
- Dallas Mavericks 119, Brooklyn Nets 111
- Golden State Warriors 120, Minnesota Timberwolves 127
Standings snapshot
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons 20-5
2. New York Knicks 17-7
3. Boston Celtics 15-10
4. Orlando Magic 15-10
5. Philadelphia 76ers 14-10
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 15-11
7. Toronto Raptors 15-11
8. Miami Heat 14-11
9. Atlanta Hawks 14-12
10. Milwaukee Bucks 11-15
11. Chicago Bulls 10-14
12. Charlotte Hornets 7-18
13. Brooklyn Nets 6-18
14. Indiana Pacers 6-19
15. Washington Wizards 3-20
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 24-1
2. Denver Nuggets 18-6
3. Houston Rockets 16-6
4. San Antonio Spurs 17-7
5. Los Angeles Lakers 17-7
6. Minnesota Timberwolves 16-9
7. Phoenix Suns 14-11
8. Golden State Warriors 13-13
9. Memphis Grizzlies 11-14
10. Dallas Mavericks 10-16
11. Utah Jazz 9-15
12. Portland Trail Blazers 9-16
13. Los Angeles Clippers 6-19
14. Sacramento Kings 6-19
15. New Orleans Pelicans 4-22
Notes
- Top 6 teams from each conference advance directly to the Playoffs.
- Teams 7th through 10th in each conference advance to the Play-Ins.
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