DETROIT – A late burst of scoring from Killian Hayes spurred the Detroit Pistons to a thrilling 131-125 overtime victory against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Hayes drained back-to-back three-pointers with just over a minute of overtime remaining to hand Detroit the win in a pulsating finish at the Pistons’ Little Caesars Arena.
Hayes, who ended the National Basketball Association game with 22 points, four rebounds and eight assists, nailed a 27-foot three-pointer with just over a minute left to put Detroit ahead 128-125.
The 21-year-old then hit a superb stepback triple to seal the victory for the struggling Pistons, who improved to 6-18.
“Seeing the first one go in felt good ... just felt ready to shoot another, and we got the W (win),” Hayes said of his overtime heroics. “Just feels good to get the win.
“We didn’t fold. Overtime, we played strong, played our defence and hit shots. We deserved that one.”
His pair of game-clinching threes came after a towering performance from Bojan Bogdanovic helped Detroit stay within reach as Dallas star Doncic threatened to take over.
Bogdanovic finished with 30 points, including five three-pointers, with four rebounds and four assists.
Sixteen of his points came in the third quarter as he traded buckets with Doncic, who led all scorers with 35 points.
The Pistons had built a 10-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter but Dallas went on a 15-6 run to get within one possession. Detroit responded with another 10-0 run after three consecutive mid-range shots from Hayes.
Detroit’s win ended a three-game losing streak, but the Pistons remain near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, ahead of only the Orlando Magic.
Asked whether there is frustration in the camp after falling to 1-8 on the road, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said: “It’s more disappointment. I don’t think it’s anything more or less. We’re disappointed about the effort we gave on the defensive end.”
Tim Hardaway Jr added: “Everybody has to be better, and I mean, if we make more than half of that, we wouldn’t be in here, (feeling) down.” AFP
