A busy night for the NBA with the Golden State Warriors moving closer towards making NBA history, the San Antonio Spurs looking perfect at home, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulling through the LeBron James drama while playoff spots keep changing hands in the West and East, with the Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers gaining the upper hand for now.
Atlanta Hawks 122 Washington Wizards 101: The Wizards winning streak stops in a bad way with John Wall and Markieff Morris combining to turn the ball over 12 times, while the Hawks finish with 32 assists, led by 23 points from Dennis Schroder and 17 from Paul Millsap.
Milwaukee Bucks 104 Cleveland Cavaliers 113: LeBron James has everyone riled up with his comments on friends and the future. In the meantime, the Cavaliers pull away late from the Bucks to win for the second straight game. James scored 26 points on 9-of-22 from the field and Kevin Love helped out with 24 points, hitting four three pointers.
Toronto Raptors 79 Boston Celtics 91: The Raptors fall behind in the race for the top seed in the East, playing without Kyle Lowry and getting too much from Cory Joseph in the lineup. Isaiah Thomas finished with a Celtics-best 23 points, Evan Turner helped out with 17 and Avery Bradley scored 16, in another all about the backcourt performance for the C’s.
Orlando Magic 104 Detroit Pistons 118: A fourth straight win for the Pistons, moving them into 8th in the East, enjoying losses to the Bulls and Wizards. Seven players scored in double figures, but Andre Drummond stood out with 30 points and 14 rebounds, while Tobias Harris followed him with 18 of his own against his former team.
New York Knicks 115 Chicago Bulls 107: Despite hitting the rookie wall long ago, Kristaps Porzingis still has something left in the tank, finishing with 29 points in a game the Bulls couldn’t afford to lose. Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points as the Knicks shot 51.7% from the field and 56% from beyond the arc in an embarrassing defensive performance by the Bulls.
Utah Jazz 89 Houston Rockets 87: A huge win for the Jazz, taking them to 8th in the West while the Rockets fall outside the playoff picture. Derrick Favors dunked the ball for the win with 1.6 seconds left in the game to finish with 17 points. Gordon Hayward led the way with 22. James Harden scored 26 points for the Rockets, who got crushed on the boards, giving up 13 offensive rebounds.
Sacramento Kings 104 Minnesota Timberwolves 113: In a game with a lot of big numbers, the Kings continue to slide towards their usual Win-Loss numbers at the end of the season, while Minnesota just seem to be having fun. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 26 points, the LaVine-Wiggins wing duo combined to score 46. Playing without Cousins and McLemore, the Kings turned to Rajon Rondo, finishing with 25 points and 12 assists.
Miami Heat 88 San Antonio Spurs 112: At home the Spurs feel comfortable, while the Heat’s winning ways come to a halt. Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points in a game that was over pretty soon in the third quarter.
Philadelphia 76ers 103 Denver Nuggets 104: The Sixers remain with just nine wins while the Nuggets win thanks to a desperate heave by Emmanuel Mudiay, who also scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Los Angeles Lakers 107 Phoenix Suns 119: The Kobe Bryant tour made its final stop in Phoenix without making an impression. Devin Booker scored 28 points, Brandon Knight helped out with 25 and Jon Leuer added 22 in a rare, easy win for the Suns, not giving the Lakers any hope of not finishing last in the West.
Dallas Mavericks 103 Portland Trail Blazers 109: A bad loss for the Mavericks who remain in the top 8 but distance themselves from Portland while falling below .500. Damian Lillard was the top scorer as usual for the Blazers with 27 points.
Los Angeles Clippers 98 Golden State Warriors 114: DeAndre Jordan had 19 points and 20 rebounds, but that was about the only good thing to say about the Clippers, not really getting in the way of making history. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were putting on a shooting clinic with 65 combined points as the Warriors improved to 64-7.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 51 | 20 | .718 | – | 71 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 48 | 22 | .686 | 2.5 | 70 |
| 3 | Atlanta Hawks | 42 | 30 | .583 | 9.5 | 72 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 42 | 30 | .583 | 9.5 | 72 |
| 5 | Miami Heat | 41 | 30 | .577 | 10.0 | 71 |
| 6 | Charlotte Hornets | 41 | 30 | .577 | 10.0 | 71 |
| 7 | Indiana Pacers | 37 | 33 | .529 | 13.5 | 70 |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 38 | 34 | .528 | 13.5 | 72 |
| 9 | Chicago Bulls | 36 | 34 | .514 | 14.5 | 70 |
| 10 | Washington Wizards | 35 | 36 | .493 | 16.0 | 71 |
| 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 30 | 42 | .417 | 21.5 | 72 |
| 12 | Orlando Magic | 29 | 42 | .408 | 22.0 | 71 |
| 13 | New York Knicks | 29 | 43 | .403 | 22.5 | 72 |
| 14 | Brooklyn Nets | 19 | 51 | .271 | 31.5 | 70 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 9 | 63 | .125 | 42.5 | 72 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 64 | 7 | .901 | – | 71 |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 60 | 11 | .845 | 4.0 | 71 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 49 | 22 | .690 | 15.0 | 71 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 43 | 27 | .614 | 20.5 | 70 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 41 | 31 | .569 | 23.5 | 72 |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 37 | 35 | .514 | 27.5 | 72 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 35 | 36 | .493 | 29.0 | 71 |
| 8 | Utah Jazz | 35 | 36 | .493 | 29.0 | 71 |
| 9 | Houston Rockets | 35 | 37 | .486 | 29.5 | 72 |
| 10 | Denver Nuggets | 30 | 42 | .417 | 34.5 | 72 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 27 | 44 | .380 | 37.0 | 71 |
| 12 | New Orleans Pelicans | 26 | 44 | .371 | 37.5 | 70 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 23 | 48 | .324 | 41.0 | 71 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 20 | 51 | .282 | 44.0 | 71 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | 15 | 56 | .211 | 49.0 | 71 |