NBA scores 2017: DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors are the night’s biggest winner

Before this game, the Raptors hadn’t beaten the Bulls since 2013.

Mar 22, 2017, 12:00 PM UTC

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NBA: Charlotte Hornets at Toronto Raptors

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Amid a slew of highlights (and just as many lowlights), Tuesday night was an exciting one for the NBA. Here are the biggest winners and losers of last night’s action.

Winners: DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors

The Raptors scraped by the Chicago Bulls in an overtime thriller, winning, 122-120. Toronto is in a tight race for the Eastern Conference’s top seed, and this victory put them just half a game behind the Washington Wizards for the No. 3 seed in the conference.

DeRozan scored 42 points and hit a myriad of clutch buckets down the stretch to help the Raptors complete a huge comeback. Jimmy Butler had a dynamic game as well, pouring in 32. The game featured some spectacular plays by both teams, as well as some not-so-good ones.

This victory also helps the Raptors snap a 13-game losing streak against the Bulls, which dated all the way back to 2013.

Losers: Serge Ibaka and Robin Lopez

Things got a bit chippy midway through the third quarter of Raptors-Bulls, when Lopez and Ibaka were ejected after a shoving match turned into actual punches.

Fortunately, they both kinda missed.

Both players will inevitably be suspended, but the fight ended up having a significant impact on the game’s outcome. The Raptors were down 13 when the punches were thrown and went on a huge run afterward.

Winner: Brook Lopez

Capping off an eventful night for the Lopez twins, the Brooklyn Nets center hit a one-legged jump shot while falling toward the baseline to sink the Detroit Pistons, 98-96.

It marked the first game-winning buzzer-beater of Lopez’s nine year career, according to the YES Network. The bucket topped off a 29-point outing for the younger Lopez.

Awesome.

Loser: The Detroit Pistons

Lopez’s shot was a major blow to the Pistons’ playoff hopes. The Pistons are now 34-36 and a full game behind the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed.

The team is just 5-5 in their last 10 games, and every game matters from here on out if the Pistons want to make the playoffs. This was a very winnable game for them, but Lopez clearly had other plans.

Winner: DeMarcus Cousins

The New Orleans Pelicans center dropped 41 points and 17 rebounds in a 95-82 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies. This convincing victory challenges any argument that he and Anthony Davis, who added 19 points and 13 rebounds, can’t be successful on the court together.

In fact, by the looks of this play, I’d say they’re doing just fine:

Loser: The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers suffered another embarrassing loss Wednesday night, this time at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers, 133-109. They were down by 30 at halftime. The Lakers are horrible — we know this — but it doesn’t make it any easier to see an obliteration like this one.

At one point while on the bench, Chris Paul had his son on his lap. Everyone in this picture looks like they’re ready for the game to end.

Perhaps we can consider this to be a slight victory for the Lakers, who are still trying to out-tank everyone in hopes of retaining their draft pick.

Winner: Steph Curry

Curry nailed three three-pointers in Golden State’s 112-87 win against the Dallas Mavericks, giving him 272 treys for the season. This means he is personally responsible for four of the NBA’s five-best three-point shooting seasons ever.

In case you were wondering, the other belongs to fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson.