The Oklahoma City Thunder kept their playoff hopes alive with a 101-90 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers as the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday night.
Russell Westbrook contributed 36 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to hand the win to Oklahoma, who need to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday and hope that the New Orleans Pelicans lose to the San Antonio Spurs to clinch eighth spot in the Western Conference.
There was no slip-up from the Pelicans as Anthony Davis stole the show once again to guide his side to a 100-88 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Davis recorded 24 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, while Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon both added 22 points to keep the Pelicans in control of the final playoff place.
Hassan Whiteside tied a career-high 24 points and registered 13 rebounds as the Miami Heat battled to a 100-93 victory against the Orlando Magic.
It proved to be a crucial win for the Heat as the Chicago Bulls boosted their slim playoff hopes by beating the Brooklyn Nets 113-86 at the Barclays Center.
Rookie Nikola Mirotic impressed again with 26 points, and the Nets slipped down to ninth spot in the Eastern Conference to remain in a three-way battle with Miami and the Indiana Pacers for the final playoff place.
James Harden continued his MVP campaign with another fine display as the Houston Rockets pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Charlotte Hornets 100-90 in North Carolina.
He was 14 from 16 with his free throws on a night when the Nets failed to prevent Houston's key man from inviting fouls in the paint, and the win moves Kevin McHale's side back into a tie with San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest division.
The Cleveland Cavaliers welcomed back their key men for a comfortable 109-97 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
LeBron James, who was given the night off on Sunday alongside Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and JR Smith, recorded a triple double with 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Cavaliers eased to the win after claiming a 25-point lead at half time.
The Milwaukee Bucks continued their preparations for the playoffs by using a strong second-half display to claim a 107-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Michael Carter-Williams, who was traded from the Sixers to the Bucks in February, impressed on his return to Philadelphia with 30 points, while OJ Mayo and Ersan Ilyasova added 13 points each.
The Atlanta Hawks failed to recover from a below-par first half as they slipped to a 112-108 loss to the New York Knicks at the Philips Arena.
New York led by 13 at the break, and despite a comeback from the Hawks, Langston Galloway's career-high 26 points made the difference as the Knicks won two successive games for the first time since February.
Klay Thompson was the star at the Oracle Arena once again as the Golden State Warriors survived a 41-point fourth quarter from the Memphis Grizzlies to win 111-107.
Thompson stunned the Grizzlies by scoring 26 of his 42 points in the second quarter, and not even a dramatic fightback from the visitors could prevent the Warriors from securing a 66th win of the season.
A Utah Jazz side missing Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Trey Burke produced an impressive performance to earn a 109-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in their home finale.
Dallas rested Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler and Monta Ellis ahead of the playoffs, and the Jazz capitalised by outscoring their opponents 30-12 in the third quarter to clinch the win.
The Los Angeles Lakers moved within one loss of the worst season in franchise history as the Sacramento Kings claimed a 102-92 victory.
Omri Casspi had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Kings pulled away in the fourth quarter to condemn the Lakers to their 60th defeat of the campaign.
The Los Angeles Clippers recovered from a poor first-half performance to beat the Denver Nuggets 110-103 and move into a three-way tie for second spot in the Western Conference.
Closing the game on a 20-7 run killed off the Denver challenge as Blake Griffin finished with 22 points and DeAndre Jordan added 20 points and 21 rebounds in the win.
Results in full: Houston Rockets 100-90 Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Piston 97-109 Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks 107-97 Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks 112-108 Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls 113-86 Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic 93-100 Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans 100-88 Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers 90-101 Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks 92-109 Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers 92-102 Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies 107-111 Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets 103-110 Los Angeles Clippers
Callum Mulvihill
