In a busy Sunday of NBA basketball, the Golden State Warriors won for the 72nd time this season, the Indiana Pacers clinched the final playoff spot in the East leaving the Chicago Bulls out, the Utah Jazz moved towards securing a spot of their own, which means the Houston Rockets need a miracle to save them.

Charlotte Hornets 98  Washington Wizards 113: Not missing anyone with injury, the Hornets didn’t look like a team hungry to finish third of fourth in the East, losing to a Wizards group that has nothing to play for. Marcin Gortat dominated the paint with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Los Angeles Lakers 110  Houston Rockets 130: Kobe Bryant scored 35 points, James Harden had 40. Bottom line? The Lakers are a mess, the Rockets are probably going to miss the playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks 91  Los Angeles Clippers 98: A loss the Mavs didn’t really need, keeping them in danger of losing one of the two remaining playoff spots open in the West. J.J. Redick couldn’t miss, finishing with 20 points while Jamal Crawford looked great off the bench with 22 points.

Milwaukee Bucks 109  Philadelphia 76ers 108: Khris Middleton scored 36 points, John Henson added 18 off the bench and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 5 blocks stat line. The game represented two sides to tanking. Both teams aren’t making the playoffs, but the future looks bright for one and completely obscure for the other.

Utah Jazz 100  Denver Nuggets 84: The Jazz step closer to a first playoff berth since 2012, one game ahead of the Houston Rockets. Derrick Favors didn’t play, by Trey Lyles helped out Gordon Hayward as they split 44 points while Rudy Gobert had 16 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks.

Brooklyn Nets 105  Indiana Pacers 129: The Pacers take care of business and make sure they’re back in the playoffs after missing it to the Nets last season. Myles Turner scored 28 points off the bench while the Bulls find out they’re missing the postseason for the first time since 2008.

Orlando Magic 96  Miami Heat 118: The Heat make themselves level with the Boston Celtics, still trying to finish fourth or third in the East. Luol Deng led five players in double figures with 20 points.

Golden State Warriors 92  San Antonio Spurs 86: Stephen Curry scored 37 points, not letting anything stand in the way of matching the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls win record. Now all that’s left is beating Memphis at home, while the Spurs lick their wounds, and try to figure out how they’re stopping this menace in the playoffs.

Toronto Raptors 93  New York Knicks 89: DeMar DeRozan wouldn’t be denied with 27 points in a tough win at the Madison Square Garden. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 21 points, playing without Kristaps Porzingis.

Eastern Conference Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	x – Cleveland Cavaliers	56	24	.700	–	80
2	x – Toronto Raptors	54	26	.675	2.0	80
3	x – Atlanta Hawks	48	32	.600	8.0	80
4	x – Boston Celtics	47	33	.588	9.0	80
5	x – Miami Heat	47	33	.588	9.0	80
6	x – Charlotte Hornets	46	34	.575	10.0	80
7	x – Indiana Pacers	43	37	.538	13.0	80
8	x – Detroit Pistons	43	37	.538	13.0	80
9	o – Chicago Bulls	40	40	.500	16.0	80
10	o – Washington Wizards	39	41	.488	17.0	80
11	o – Orlando Magic	34	46	.425	22.0	80
12	o – Milwaukee Bucks	33	47	.413	23.0	80
13	o – New York Knicks	32	49	.395	24.5	81
14	o – Brooklyn Nets	21	59	.263	35.0	80
15	o – Philadelphia 76ers	10	70	.125	46.0	80

Western Conference Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	x – Golden State Warriors	72	9	.889	–	81
2	x – San Antonio Spurs	65	15	.813	6.5	80
3	x– Oklahoma City Thunder	54	26	.675	17.5	80
4	x – Los Angeles Clippers	52	28	.650	19.5	80
5	x – Portland Trail Blazers	43	38	.531	29.0	81
6	x – Memphis Grizzlies	42	38	.525	29.5	80
7	Dallas Mavericks	41	39	.513	30.5	80
8	Utah Jazz	40	40	.500	31.5	80
9	Houston Rockets	39	41	.488	32.5	80
10	o – Denver Nuggets	33	48	.407	39.0	81
11	o – Sacramento Kings	32	48	.400	39.5	80
12	o – New Orleans Pelicans	30	50	.375	41.5	80
13	o – Minnesota Timberwolves	28	52	.350	43.5	80
14	o – Phoenix Suns	22	58	.275	49.5	80
15	o – Los Angeles Lakers	16	64	.200	55.5	80

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