A busy Friday night of NBA basketball had the Boston Celtics standing out by beating the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena, something no one has done in over a year. The Cleveland Cavaliers remain on course to finish first in the East with an overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks, while the Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and the Miami Heat help their playoff seeding cause with important victories.
Philadelphia 76ers 91 Charlotte Hornets 100: Another comfortable win for Charlotte over Philadelphia, putting them at 4th in the East. Kemba Walker with 27 points, as they held the 76ers to just 36.7% from the field, which countered Charlotte’s disappointing 42.9% from the field.
Dallas Mavericks 98 Detroit Pistons 89: The Mavs come to life in recent games, winning three in a row, putting them at 7th in the West. The Pistons are suddenly quite close to losing their spot in the top 8 on the East side of the NBA map. Marcus Morris has been playing great basketball of late, scoring 31 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15.
Brooklyn Nets 91 New York Knicks 105: The New York City derby went the way of the team with a little bit more hope heading into next season, despite their awful coach. The Nets went more than four minutes without a point in the fourth quarter, losing touch with the Knicks, losing the game. Langston Galloway led New York with 18 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers 110 Atlanta Hawks 108: A big, important overtime win for the Cavaliers, who dropped a 21 point lead they had in the first half to almost lose the game. Kyrie Irving was was terrible with 5-for-23 from the field while LeBron James keeps moving up the scoring charts with 29, 16 rebounds and 9 assists, while also adding three steals. They’re 2.5 games ahead of the Raptors for the lead in the East.
Toronto Raptors 99 Memphis Grizzlies 95: The Raptors keep the pace with the Cavaliers to beat a sliding Grizzlies team that has lost five in a row and might even lose their playoff spot if this continues. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 27 points, Kyle Lowry helped with 22.
Orlando Magic 110 Milwaukee Bucks 113: Two teams on a similar trajectory, with the Bucks having a bit more talent right now. Jabari Parker led the way with 26 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo pulled off another triple double, scoring 18 points to go with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Minnesota Timberwolves 85 Utah Jazz 98: The Timberwolves didn’t stand in the way of the Jazz, winning 7 out of their last 10, holding on to 8th in the West. Gordon Hayward was fantastic with 22 points Derrick Favors scored 18 and Rodney Hood added 17.
Miami Heat 112 Sacramento Kings 106: An important win for the Heat to stay in touch with the Celtics and Hornets, also taking advantage of the Hawks losing. Gerald Green took advantage of the starting spot instead of Dwyane Wade, scoring 30 points while Goran Dragic had 18 points and Luol Deng helped with 17. Darren Collison scored 26 to lead the Kings, who didn’t have DeMarcus Cousins, suspended.
Boston Celtics 109 Golden State Warriors 106: The Warriors their first home game since the NBA Finals last season and after 54 regular season wins at the Oracle arena. Isaiah Thomas with 20 points, Evan Turner with 21 and Jared Sullinger out of everyone with 20 points, but most importantly forced 22 turnovers out of the Warriors, who had Stephen Curry lead them with 8 three pointers and 29 points.
Washington Wizards 106 Phoenix Suns 99: The Wizards are 2.5 games behind 8th in the East, but at least they’re still in the picture. The John Wall and Bradley Beal backcourt gave 43 points; Markieff Morris helped out with 21 points.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 54 | 22 | .711 | – | 76 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 51 | 24 | .680 | 2.5 | 75 |
| 3 | Miami Heat | 44 | 31 | .587 | 9.5 | 75 |
| 4 | Charlotte Hornets | 44 | 31 | .587 | 9.5 | 75 |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 45 | 32 | .584 | 9.5 | 77 |
| 6 | Boston Celtics | 44 | 32 | .579 | 10.0 | 76 |
| 7 | Detroit Pistons | 40 | 36 | .526 | 14.0 | 76 |
| 8 | Indiana Pacers | 39 | 36 | .520 | 14.5 | 75 |
| 9 | Chicago Bulls | 38 | 37 | .507 | 15.5 | 75 |
| 10 | Washington Wizards | 37 | 39 | .487 | 17.0 | 76 |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | 32 | 44 | .421 | 22.0 | 76 |
| 12 | Milwaukee Bucks | 32 | 44 | .421 | 22.0 | 76 |
| 13 | New York Knicks | 31 | 46 | .403 | 23.5 | 77 |
| 14 | Brooklyn Nets | 21 | 55 | .276 | 33.0 | 76 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 9 | 67 | .118 | 45.0 | 76 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 68 | 8 | .895 | – | 76 |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 63 | 12 | .840 | 4.5 | 75 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 53 | 23 | .697 | 15.0 | 76 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 47 | 28 | .627 | 20.5 | 75 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 41 | 35 | .539 | 27.0 | 76 |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 40 | 36 | .526 | 28.0 | 76 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 38 | 38 | .500 | 30.0 | 76 |
| 8 | Utah Jazz | 38 | 38 | .500 | 30.0 | 76 |
| 9 | Houston Rockets | 37 | 39 | .487 | 31.0 | 76 |
| 10 | Denver Nuggets | 32 | 45 | .416 | 36.5 | 77 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 30 | 46 | .395 | 38.0 | 76 |
| 12 | New Orleans Pelicans | 28 | 47 | .373 | 39.5 | 75 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 25 | 51 | .329 | 43.0 | 76 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 20 | 56 | .263 | 48.0 | 76 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | 16 | 59 | .213 | 51.5 | 75 |