Detroit Escapes 144-140 Thriller While Minnesota Rolls

On Thursday, Philadelphia beat Toronto 123-112, Detroit edged Washington 144-140, Minnesota routed Dallas 133-94, and Phoenix held off Charlotte 101-96. Minnesota’s 39-point demolition was the night’s defining result: the 9-3 Timberwolves rank No. 1 in DYMA’s Power Index with a +161 point differential, while Dallas is 7-5 with a +12 differential. Detroit improved to 8-3 and No. 8 in the index after surviving Washington, while Phoenix moved to 5-6 with its five-point win. Friday’s nine-game slate features Milwaukee at Orlando, New York at Indiana, Atlanta at Chicago, Memphis at New Orleans, Cleveland at Miami, Utah at Houston, Golden State at San Antonio, Portland at Sacramento, and Oklahoma City at the LA Clippers.