Little-used reserve Devonte’ Graham hit the deciding jumper with 0.9 seconds left to cap a torrid comeback because the host San Antonio Spurs shocked the Denver Nuggets 121-120 on Friday.
The loss, which got here within the next-to-last recreation of the common season for each groups, dropped the Nuggets right into a three-way tie for first place within the Western Conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Victor Wembanyama completed with 34 factors, 12 rebounds and 5 assists for the Spurs. He put up 17 factors in lower than three minutes in the course of the third quarter, a span wherein he had 4 3-pointers and a three-point play.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 35 factors, whereas Nikola Jokic added 22 factors, 12 assists and 7 rebounds. The Nuggets had a remaining likelihood after Graham’s go-ahead basket, however they may not inbound the ball inside 5 seconds and turned it over.
Thunder 125, Bucks 107
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 factors and Chet Holmgren added 22 to guide Oklahoma City previous visiting Milwaukee for its fourth consecutive win.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 within the first quarter alone because the Thunder put up 41 within the interval.
The Bucks, who received 18 factors apiece from Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton, fell right into a tie with the New York Knicks for the No. 2 spot within the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee holds the tiebreaker.
Timberwolves 109, Hawks 106
Rudy Gobert scored 25 factors and grabbed 19 rebounds as Minnesota held off Atlanta in Minneapolis and pulled right into a three-way tie atop the Western Conference.
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Naz Reid added 19 factors off the bench for Minnesota, which has one recreation to go within the common season, as do the co-leaders Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder. Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns scored 11 factors and dished eight assists in his first recreation since March 4 attributable to a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Trae Young scored 19 factors and distributed seven assists to guide Atlanta. Clint Capela recorded 13 factors and 11 rebounds.
Celtics 131, Hornets 98
Payton Pritchard scored a career-high 31 factors and had 11 assists to assist Boston finish a two-game shedding streak by routing visiting Charlotte.
Neither group was close to full power. Boston (63-18) was with out the highest six gamers in its rotation, and the Hornets had been with out a few gamers as nicely. Tre Mann completed with 19 factors and eight assists for Charlotte, and Nick Smith Jr. added 15.
Pritchard made 14 of his 22 field-goal makes an attempt. He didn’t play within the fourth quarter. Luke Kornet added 16 factors and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who’re locked into the No. 1 seed within the Eastern Conference and may have home-court benefit all through the playoffs.
Cavaliers 129, Pacers 120
Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 33 factors, serving to Cleveland defeat visiting Indiana and clinch a playoff berth.
Jarrett Allen added 29 factors and 13 rebounds for Cleveland. Darius Garland and Caris LeVert chipped in 16 apiece, whereas Evan Mobley scored 12.
Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam led eight gamers in double figures for Indiana with 19 factors apiece. Haliburton additionally had a game-high 12 assists for the Pacers, who had their three-game profitable streak snapped. Indiana is amongst three groups tied for fifth within the East.
Heat 125, Raptors 103
Nikola Jovic scored 22 factors and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 20 factors and 9 assists off the bench to assist Miami defeat visiting Toronto.
Bam Adebayo scored 19 factors because the Heat received for the sixth time in 9 video games. The Heat reside in eighth place within the Eastern Conference with one recreation remaining however nonetheless have an opportunity at a top-six playoff berth, as they’re one recreation again of the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers.
RJ Barrett scored 35 factors on 13-of-18 capturing and picked up 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who’ve misplaced three in a row.
Pelicans 114, Warriors 109
CJ McCollum capped a New Orleans barrage of 3-pointers by sinking his eighth of the sport with 1:02 remaining in San Francisco, stalling a Golden State rally and propelling the Pelicans right into a triumph in a matchup full of playoff-position ramifications.
A second win in two nights in Northern California improved the probabilities of the Pelicans ending within the coveted sixth spot within the Western Conference and clinching a playoff spot. McCollum paced the Pelicans with 28 factors, 24 approaching 8-for-13 capturing from 3-point vary. New Orleans made 20 threes as a group, outscoring the Warriors 60-39 from past the arc.
The Warriors took an enormous step backward towards the tenth and remaining play-in spot. Stephen Curry shot 7-for-13 from lengthy vary as a part of his game-high, 33-point evening. Klay Thompson chipped in with 19 factors, Andrew Wiggins 18 and Trayce Jackson-Davis 10 to go along with 11 rebounds. Draymond Green recorded a 12-rebound, 11-assist double-double on an evening when he went scoreless.
Lakers 123, Grizzlies 120
LeBron James poured in 37 factors and Anthony Davis added 36 as visiting Los Angeles held off pesky Memphis.
With the victory, Los Angeles jumped into the No. 8 seed within the Western Conference. Davis grabbed 14 rebounds to complete with a double-double. Rui Hachimura chipped in 14 factors for Los Angeles, which snapped a two-game skid.
GG Jackson led Memphis with 31 factors, whereas LaRavia and Scotty Pippen Jr. every completed with 28. Jordan Goodwin collected 23 factors and 17 boards because the Grizzlies received outshot 51.9 % to 45.3 % from the sphere.
Bulls 129, Wizards 127
Javonte Green scored 24 factors and Dalen Terry led a late surge as Chicago used a makeshift lineup to defeat host Washington.
Adama Sanogo contributed 22 factors and 20 rebounds off the bench whereas Coby White and Jevon Carter added 20 factors every because the Bulls fielded a lineup stuffed with reserves. It was the second highway win in as many nights for Chicago, after clinching the No. 9 seed within the Eastern Conference with a win in Detroit on Thursday.
Deni Avdija had 24 factors, 12 rebounds and eight assists to tempo Washington, which is on its strategy to its worst file in franchise historical past. Korey Kispert added 23 factors for the Wizards.
Knicks 111, Nets 107
Jalen Brunson scored 30 factors as scorching New York overcame a 17-point, first-half deficit and held on a victory over Brooklyn.
The consequence assures the Knicks of a minimum of home-court benefit within the first spherical of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks received their fourth straight recreation and overcame a 41-point exhibiting by Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas. Josh Hart added 16 whereas OG Anunoby and Robinson added 15 apiece for the Knicks.
Thomas made 15 of 26 pictures for Brooklyn, which shot 50 % and performed with solely 9 gamers attributable to accidents to Cameron Johnson, Dennis Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder. Watford logged 17 factors and 13 rebounds and Lonnie Walker IV contributed 15 factors for the Nets, who misplaced for the second time in three video games.
76ers 125, Magic 113
Joel Embiid racked up 32 factors and 13 rebounds to guide host Philadelphia to a win over Orlando.
Embiid additionally had seven assists for Philadelphia, which ran its profitable streak to seven video games. Tyrese Maxey added 28 factors and Kelly Oubre Jr. provided 21 to go together with 9 boards.
Franz Wagner paced Orlando with 24 factors. Paolo Banchero completed with 22 factors, 15 rebounds and 7 assists and Jalen Suggs netted 20 factors because the Magic had been outshot 47.7 % to 45.3 % from the sphere.
Jazz 110, Clippers 109
Reserve Kenneth Lofton Jr. set season highs with 27 factors and eight assists and matched his season finest with 9 rebounds whereas main Utah to a win at Los Angeles.
Keyonte George added 14 factors to assist carry the Jazz to their second consecutive win in as many nights after enduring a 13-game shedding streak.
Bones Hyland missed a game-winning 3-point try within the remaining seconds however completed with a team-high 20 factors for the Clippers. Los Angeles nonetheless clinched fourth place within the West because of Dallas’ loss.
Pistons 107, Mavericks 89
Marcus Sasser led a balanced assault with 24 factors and visiting Detroit cruised previous short-handed Dallas.
Evan Fournier led a productive four-man bench crew with 13 factors because the Pistons snapped a six-game shedding streak by having higher depth than a Mavericks membership resting star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Jaden Hardy went for a game-high 25 factors off the bench for Dallas, which didn’t play any of its starters greater than 16 minutes.
Rockets 116, Trail Blazers 107
Jalen Green totaled 26 factors and 9 rebounds for Houston, which took management within the second quarter and went on to ship host Portland to its 14th loss in its final 16 video games.
Green made 10 of 20 pictures after being restricted to 19 minutes and three factors in Houston’s three-point loss at Utah on Thursday. He helped the Rockets prevail for simply the second time in eight video games following an 11-game profitable streak.
Rookie Scoot Henderson scored 30 factors however sat for the ultimate 8 1/2 minutes as Portland reached 60 losses for the fourth time in group historical past and the primary time since 2005-06.
Suns 108, Kings 107
Jusuf Nurkic break up two free throws with 8.7 seconds left and visiting Phoenix pressured Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox right into a late turnover to seal an important victory.
Kevin Durant scored 28 factors, Devin Booker tallied 21 and Bradley Beal had 20 factors and 9 rebounds for the Suns, who stay one recreation behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the sixth and remaining automated playoff berth within the Western Conference.
Domantas Sabonis had 25 factors, 12 rebounds and 9 assists for the Kings, who led by 16 factors with simply over seven minutes left within the third quarter however misplaced for the fifth time up to now six video games.
