The Wizards took three overtimes to put away the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.
It was over until it wasn't. Bradley Beal hit a layup as time expired at the end of the second overtime between the Wizards and Raptors on Thursday, but the shot was waved off. Replay confirmed that the ball was still in Beal's hand as the backboard lit up, and the Wizards had to endure a third extra period before they could finally beat the Raptors, 134-129.
Washington closed the game with strong defensive play and incredible effort by John Wall, who finished with John Wall led Washington with 31 points, nine assists, three steals and three rebounds. Marcin Gortat added 31 points and 12 rebounds. Bradley Beal finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. For the Raptors, DeMar DeRozan had 34 points on 11-of-23 shooting including six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Miami Heat 108, New York Knicks 82
The Heat turned on the jets in the third quarter, holding the Knicks to just 14 points as they pulled away from their Eastern Conference rivals. The story of the game, other than Raymond Felton's pending legal quandry, was LeBron James' protective facemask, which prompted photoshops from around the league and indeed from us here at SB Nation.
James led the way with 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting, adding four rebounds and four assists. Dwyane Wade looked to be spry as a spring chicken with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting. For the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 29, adding seven rebounds and two assists. Tyson Chandler impressed with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, adding 16 rebounds.
Indiana Pacers 101, Milwaukee Bucks 96
Milwaukee threw caution to the wind and despite their lowly status in the Eastern Conference, gave the Indiana Pacers a game on Thursday night. The Bucks made 12 three-pointers and kept the Pacers on their toes until two minutes left in the fourth quarter when Indiana finally took control.
Indiana's Roy Hibbert led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Bucks got a combined 45 points from Khris Middleton and Brandon Knight, but a -12 deficit in rebounding sunk them against the Pacers' dominant front line.
Brooklyn Nets 112, Denver Nuggets 89
Just one night after getting blown out by the Portland Trail Blazers by 44 points, the Brooklyn Nets handed out a beatdown of their own. Denver came out incredibly flat and scored a franchise-low eight points in the first quarter on their way to losing to the Nets, 112-89.
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The Nets' leading scorer was Paul Pierce, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting with six rebounds. Shaun Livingston had eight points and eight assists. For the Nuggets, Randy Foye led his team with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.