NBA

What Happened Last Night: No. 1 Indiana Lost, Miami Escaped Sacramento

What’s that? You were…out? Not watching sports on television? Wow. Okay. We won’t blame you, this time. Here’s what you missed.

The Indiana Hoosiers were No. 1. Now they’re not.

For the third time this season, the No. 1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers fell from college basketball’s highest throne, losing on the road to unranked Minnesota. Though the game’s final score was 77-73, it was never that close. Despite being down by four at halftime, Minnesota controlled the second half easily, maintaining a healthy 7-8 point cushion and holding Cody Zeller to 9 points and four turnovers.

This also marks the 7th time this season No. 1 has fallen, which seems strangely on point for an even stranger basketball season. If there’s been any pervasive theme, it’s that no team is particularly dominant. Six or seven teams are legitimate title contenders, on top of a handful of fringe powers easily capable of reeling off a run of their own.

The Miami Heat beat the Sacramento Kings in double overtime.

At home! We’re not really sure what happened in this one, other than to say that when Sacramento’s talent does, rarely, piece it together, they can actually be quite good. Marcus Thornton poured in eight three-pointers and 36 points, DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Tyreke Evans scored 26 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and five steals. Still, it was Miami’s 12th win in a row, but don’t let that 141-129 margin of victory fool you: this one was neck and neck until Sacramento gave out in the second overtime. At the end of regulation, a Cousins putback sent the game to overtime; a wild Isaiah Thomas floater followed by a missed Dwyane Wade stepback added a second five minutes. Then, LeBron James went 3-3 from the field and 4-4 from the line to pull Miami away and finish off his stellar 40-point, 16-assist, eight-rebound game.