An interesting Thursday night of NBA basketball included the Los Angeles Clippers perhaps revealing the blueprint for stopping the small-ball Houston Rockets, and the long-awaited return of Stephen Curry in Golden State Warriors uniform.

Denver Nuggets 114 Charlotte Hornets 112

This is definitely a difficult patch of the season for the Nuggets. Their recent patchy form has raised questions about the team’s ability to go far in the playoffs. Is this a win that removes some of the fears? Probably not. And yet Jamal Murray taking the winning shot in a strong 18 points, 6 assists performance has to be a little bit encouraging.

Los Angeles Clippers 120 Houston Rockets 105

The Clippers create some distance from the chasing Rockets with this win. The scoreline actually compliments the Rockets, basically out of the game since early in the second quarter. The Clippers used their defensive variety to show the Rockets an interesting look – no help on James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but denying clean looks from three. Houston shot 7-for-42 from downtown, including 0-for-8 by Harden. Kawhi Leonard led the Clips with 25 points, helped by Montrezl Harrell adding 19.

Philadelphia 76ers 125 Sacramento Kings 108

A blow to the Kings’ playoff aspirations, while the Sixers found new ways to win without Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Tobias Harris scored 28 points and Shake Milton added 20 for Philly, now 2.5 games behind the Miami Heat. Remember – home advantage is crucial for Philly, with a 28-2 record at home and only 10-23 away.

Toronto Raptors 121 Golden State Warriors 113

How was Stephen Curry in his return to basketball, missing since October? Not bad. 23 points and 7 assists with 3-for-12 from three, including 0-for-5 on uncontested shots. The real standout in this game was Norman Powell, who has been red hot since his return. Powell scored 37 points and played some fantastic defense on Curry. The Raps improve to 1.5 games ahead of the Celtics in the battle for 2nd in the East.

Eastern Conference Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	Milwaukee Bucks	53	9	.855	–	62
2	Toronto Raptors	44	18	.710	9.0	62
3	Boston Celtics	42	19	.689	10.5	61
4	Miami Heat	40	22	.645	13.0	62
5	Philadelphia 76ers	38	25	.603	15.5	63
6	Indiana Pacers	37	25	.597	16.0	62
7	Brooklyn Nets	27	34	.443	25.5	61
8	Orlando Magic	27	35	.435	26.0	62
9	Washington Wizards	22	39	.361	30.5	61
10	Charlotte Hornets	21	41	.339	32.0	62
11	Chicago Bulls	21	41	.339	32.0	62
12	Detroit Pistons	20	43	.317	33.5	63
13	New York Knicks	19	43	.306	34.0	62
14	Atlanta Hawks	19	44	.302	34.5	63
15	Cleveland Cavaliers	17	45	.274	36.0	62

Teams in bold have clinched a playoff spot.

Western Conference Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	Los Angeles Lakers	47	13	.783	–	60
2	Los Angeles Clippers	43	19	.694	5.0	62
3	Denver Nuggets	42	20	.677	6.0	62
4	Houston Rockets	39	22	.639	8.5	61
5	Utah Jazz	39	22	.639	8.5	61
6	Oklahoma City Thunder	38	24	.613	10.0	62
7	Dallas Mavericks	38	25	.603	10.5	63
8	Memphis Grizzlies	31	31	.500	17.0	62
9	Portland Trail Blazers	28	35	.444	20.5	63
10	Sacramento Kings	27	35	.435	21.0	62
11	San Antonio Spurs	26	34	.433	21.0	60
12	New Orleans Pelicans	26	36	.419	22.0	62
13	Phoenix Suns	24	38	.387	24.0	62
14	Minnesota Timberwolves	19	42	.311	28.5	61
15	Golden State Warriors	14	49	.222	34.5	63

Standings via Wikipedia