The Lakers finished with a season-high 22 3-pointers on 40 attempts (55 percent). Austin Reaves had 20 points and he and Doncic were two of four Los Angeles players with four or more 3-pointers. Dorian Finney-Smith (14 points) and Gabe Vincent (12) each made four triples, while LeBron James added 19 points and seven assists.

The Lakers (48-30) have won four of their last five.

The Thunder have dropped back-to-back games for the second time this season. Oklahoma City (64-14) had not lost a game by more than 15 points this season, other than the NBA Cup championship game that did not count toward the league standings.

The Lakers got going from deep early and didn't cool off in the first half. Los Angeles hit 10 of its first 12 3-pointers to help it build a lead that stretched as large as 29 in the first half.

The Lakers finished the first half 15 of 22 from beyond the arc, tying a franchise record for 3-pointers in a half.

Los Angeles ripped off a 16-6 run late in the first quarter to grab control and lead by 11.

The Lakers hit three 3-pointers in that stretch, including two on consecutive possessions by Vincent. They were 7 of 9 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter to score 42 points against the team with the top defensive rating in the NBA.

Los Angeles quickly stretched its lead to 20 in the first three minutes of the second quarter and Oklahoma City never got closer than 13 the rest of the way.

The Lakers dominated despite not scoring off a Thunder turnover until more than three minutes into the fourth quarter when James stepped in front of an Aaron Wiggins pass near midcourt and ran uncontested for a raucous dunk.

It was just Oklahoma City's third turnover of the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 26 points, extending his streak of scoring 20 or more points to 71 games.

Gilgeous-Alexander added nine assists and did not attempt a free throw for the first time this season. Jalen Williams had 16 points and Chet Holmgren scored 10.

The game was the first of back-to-back games between the teams in Oklahoma City. They'll meet again Tuesday.

The Raptors (29-50) beat the Nets (25-53) for the second time in less than two weeks in a game they led by as many as 23 and for the final 31:09.

Mogbo scored 17 for the second time this season on 8-of-9 shooting. He also added 11 rebounds and seven assists as the Raptors won for the fifth time in eight games.

Ochai Agbaji added 15 for the Raptors, who shot 50 percent. RJ Barrett and AJ Lawson contributed 13, Cole Swider and Jamison Battle each had 12, Orlando Robinson netted 11 and Jared Rhoden had 10 for Toronto, which held out Scottie Barnes (hands) and rested Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl.

The Nets rested Nic Claxton and also played without D'Angelo Russell (sore right ankle) and Cameron Johnson (lower back).

Brooklyn lost for the 19th time in 24 games and used its 40th different starting lineup as Reece Beekman and Drew Timme made their first career starts.

Beekman led the Nets with 14 points. Trendon Watford, Dariq Whitehead, Timme, Keon Johnson and Maxwell Lewis added 13 apiece, Tosan Evbuomwan scored 12 and Ziaire Williams had 11 as the Nets shot 47.6 percent and committed a season-worst 24 turnovers.

After Toronto took a five-point lead through the opening 12 minutes, a 3 by Battle gave the Raptors the lead for good and they outscored Brooklyn 26-11 over the final 7:18 and held a 61-46 lead by halftime.

Toronto took its first 20-point lead when Agbaji's 3-pointer made it 68-47 nearly three minutes into the third. Brooklyn stormed back and outscored the Raptors 25-14 the rest of the quarter to cut the deficit to 82-72 entering the fourth.

The Nets were within 101-93 following a layup by Beekman with 6:25 left.

Hoops by Agbaji and Robinson pushed the lead to 106-93 with 5:19 left and Agbaji's dunk made it 112-97 to seal it with 3:12 remaining.

The Heat (35-43) dropped a 121-115 overtime decision at home on Saturday to Milwaukee in a game with postseason implications. Miami is locked into the play-in round, with only positioning between the East's seven through 10 seeds left to determine.

The 10th-place Heat are three games behind the No. 7 Orlando Magic, who have the most favorable play-in spot ahead of the regular season's closing stretch. Atlanta is 1 1/2 games up on Miami for eighth place, with the Hawks in action on Sunday vs. Utah. In ninth, Chicago holds a one-game lead over the Heat following Sunday's win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Miami's consecutive losses to Memphis and Milwaukee -- two opponents who have clinched playoff spots -- come on the heels of a six-game winning streak.

"Bro, we've been on a 10-game losing streak," Bam Adebayo said of Miami's back-to-back defeats. "Two is not that bad. We all hate losing. Monday, everybody will come in with the same mentality, try to get a win."

Philadelphia (23-55), long ago eliminated from postseason contention, takes a season-worst 11-game losing streak into Monday's contest. The 76ers dropped a 114-109 nailbiter to Minnesota at home on Saturday to continue their slide.

Quentin Grimes hit four 3-pointers in the final 3:26, helping the Sixers pull within one possession of the Timberwolves twice down the stretch, but Philadelphia had no answer for Anthony Edwards.

With his 28 points in the loss, Grimes has scored at least 22 points in 12 of 13 appearances dating back to March 9.

The one exception came in Philadelphia's last meeting with Miami, a 118-95 Heat win in Philadelphia. Miami held Grimes to 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor.

Tyler Herro paced the Heat in that matchup with 30 points and 5-of-9 3-point shooting. Miami's leading scorer this season (23.9 points per game), Herro missed Saturday's contest with a thigh injury amid a streak of 20-plus points in his previous seven outings.

"We have a very deep team and everybody can step up when they need to," said Miami's Alec Burks, who scored 24 points on Saturday. "Just stay ready. Be a professional, stay ready. I learned it over my career.

"You never know what's going to happen game to game."

Roster flux has been the story for Philadelphia throughout the 2024-25 season, with stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all currently sidelined for the remainder of an injury-plagued campaign.

The holes in the Sixers' lineup have created opportunities for other players to step up. Grimes has been one such Sixer, and Guerschon Yabusele has been another in recent weeks.

"What he's doing now" would be a strong end to the season, Sixers coach Nick Nurse said of Yabusele. "He's playing hard. He's got the right kind of attitude."

The journeyman forward has scored 19, 22 and 21 points in three of Philadelphia's last four contests. After spending the previous four seasons with Spanish club Real Madrid, Yabusele returned to the NBA this year with the Sixers and has averaged 11 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 70 games played.

White shot 12-for-16 from the field, including 6-for-8 on 3-pointers, in a return to his home state of North Carolina. He also made all seven of his free-throw attempts.

Josh Giddey supplied 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, Nikola Vucevic finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Patrick Williams had 15 points off the bench for the Bulls (36-42), who shot 53.5 percent from the field. Kevin Huerter added 13 points and Matas Buzelis had 10 points.

The Hornets (19-59) have lost eight of their last nine games. Mark Williams, who was back in the lineup after missing Friday night's game with muscle spasms, contributed 22 points and nine rebounds and Jusuf Nurkic and KJ Simpson each poured in 18 points for Charlotte. Seth Curry had 10 points.

Charlotte's woes on perimeter shooting continued as the Hornets were 8-for-30 from beyond the arc. That included Miles Bridges going 0-for-4 to dip to 19-for-83 on 3-pointers across a 12-game stretch, while reserve Nick Smith Jr. went 0-for-7 on 3s.

White, a guard, was Chicago's leading scorer for the 11th time in the last 13 games. He has eclipsed the 30-point mark in five of the past nine games.

White drilled two 3-pointers in a 27-second span early in the second quarter and Giddey's 3-point basket capped a 12-2 run for a 58-43 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the first half.

The Bulls led 75-55 at halftime, buoyed by a 46-point second quarter. Aside from closing within 14 points early in the third quarter, the Hornets never mounted a sustained charge. They were within 97-86 early in the fourth quarter and then went more than two minutes without scoring.

The Bulls, who improved to 20-19 in road games, won three of four meetings with the Hornets this season.

They had historic performances twice in three days, then rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Heat 121-115 in overtime in Miami on Saturday night.

The Bucks (43-34) clinched a playoff berth Saturday and moved into the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference. They're trying to stay sharp as the postseason nears after losing four straight games before winning the last three.

They'll try to keep rolling when they visit the lottery-bound New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.

"We have to win games," Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "We clinched the playoffs, and I'm happy about that. We're in a good place. We just have to stay humble and stay on point."

The Bucks shot a franchise-best 68.9 percent from the floor on Tuesday and made 58.6 percent of their 3-pointers in a 133-123 victory over visiting Phoenix.

Two nights later in a 126-113 victory at Philadelphia, Antetokounmpo became the first player in NBA history to have at least 35 points, 20 assists and 15 rebounds in the same game. He finished with 35, 20 and 17, respectively, for Milwaukee, which shot 51.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Things were more difficult Saturday but worked out fine.

Antetokounmpo didn't duplicate his historic stat line against the Heat, but he wasn't that far off, finishing with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

"His effort was amazing," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Antetokounmpo, but added, "It was a team win."

Bucks guard Damian Lillard (calf injury) has missed the last nine games, but Rivers is optimistic he will be able to return before the end of the season.

As for Milwaukee's recent surge in Lillard's absence, Rivers said, "I'm surprised by it, but I love it."

The Pelicans (21-56) have lost five of their top players to season-ending injuries and traded second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram during the season.

New Orleans will play its third consecutive game against a team headed to the postseason.

The Peclians lost consecutive road games against the Clippers (114-98 score) on Wednesday and Lakers (124-108) on Friday. Jose Alvarado had 17 points and 10 assists against the Clippers and tied his season high with 27 points against the Lakers.

New Orleans coach Willie Green said Alvarado "has been doing a great job filling in for guys being out," but Alvarado is questionable for Sunday because of calf soreness. If he doesn't play, New Orleans will be even more dependent on inexperienced players.

"You can't script the experience that they're getting on the floor," Green said of the young players. "They're taking advantage of opportunities. I can see steady improvement from all these guys across the board.

"You can see the improvement right before our eyes, and the key as we move forward with the last handful of games left is to continue to try to build on the positives."

Sunday's game was scheduled to be played Jan. 22 but was postponed because of a rare snowstorm in New Orleans. The Pelicans will visit the Bucks on Thursday.

Things might get even better on Sunday night with Jalen Brunson possibly returning from a month-long absence as the Knicks host the Phoenix Suns.

New York won despite the absence of Brunson and Mitchell Robinson on Saturday when it rolled to a 121-105 victory over the host Atlanta Hawks.

The Suns will be completing a three-game road trip after their losing streak hit five games Friday night with a 123-103 setback to the Boston Celtics.

Brunson, who suffered a sprained right ankle in a 113-109 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6, worked out with the Knicks before Saturday's game. New York is 9-6 without Brunson, who leads the team with 26.3 points and 7.4 assists per game.

"He's very close -- when he's ready, we'll know," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "If he can play, he'll play. And if it's better for him not to play, he won't play."

If Brunson returns Sunday, he'll find the Knicks (49-28) in no worse shape than when he was injured -- even though the All-Star point guard is far from the only player New York has been forced to play without down the stretch.

The Knicks lead the Indiana Pacers by three games in the race for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. New York held a 3 1/2-game lead over the fourth-place Milwaukee Bucks following the loss to the Lakers.

Brunson's replacement in the starting lineup, Miles McBride, has missed the past eight games with a left groin injury. Robinson, who made his season debut Feb. 28 after undergoing left ankle surgery last May, has sat out five of the past 15 games due to maintenance.

"There's some moving parts here where we're trying to reintegrate players that come back after being out for a while," Thibodeau said. "So there's that challenge as well."

The challenges this season have been of the unexpected variety for the Suns (35-42), who returned their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal and expected to challenge for the NBA title after hiring Mike Budenholzer to replace Frank Vogel.

But the Durant-Booker-Beal trio has started together just 23 times.

While Booker has played 71 of 77 games, Durant has been limited to 62 contests and is expected to miss his third straight game Sunday with a sprained left ankle. Beal has appeared in just 49 games and returned Friday after missing eight consecutive games with a strained left hamstring.

The Suns enter Sunday two games behind the Sacramento Kings in the race for 10th place in the Western Conference and the final spot in the play-in tournament. Phoenix has three home games before a visit to the Kings in the season finale April 13.

"We've got one more game on this trip," Budenholzer said. "We've got to find a way to get a win -- get some more wins, find a way to get into the play-in."

Second-year player Taylor Hendricks spent time with the broadcast team of the Jazz (16-62) during the telecast, chatting about his progress since suffering a season-ending leg injury in October three games into the season.

Hendricks is one of many of Utah's expected regulars who won't be available for Sunday's road game against the Atlanta Hawks, but he gave a positive update on his rehabilitation process in the rare interview. The best part is that Hendricks is expected to resume basketball activities in May after undergoing surgery in November for a major leg injury that resulted in a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle.

"By May, I'll be 100 percent," Hendricks said during the Jazz's 140-112 loss to the Pacers. "But the way I'm feeling, I'll be ready way before then."

Hendricks, a 6-foot-9 forward who was drafted ninth overall in 2023, had a promising rookie season. More was expected of him this season before the non-contact injury happened against the Dallas Mavericks in the third game of the 2024-25 season.

Hendricks was last listed at 215 pounds, but he's hit the weight room and bulked up to 243 in the past few months. He'll trim down some from that weight but will return with a much stronger physique than before.

"The toughest part is just not being able to play, just coming to the games, and not being able to check in and help my guys," Hendricks said. "I feel like what I do could really help us and it's really what we're kind of missing a little bit."

On Friday, the Jazz certainly could have used him as they saw a first-half lead of 13 devolve into a 28-point loss. Utah was outscored 83-53 in the second half and allowed the Pacers to shoot 57.3 percent for the game.

Utah has now lost eight in a row for the third time this season and taken 18 defeats in the past 19 games.

The Hawks (36-41) come into this one off of a rough setback to the New York Knicks, 121-105, on Saturday. That was Atlanta's third consecutive defeat and its fifth loss in six outings. The Hawks have clinched a play-in berth, with the seeding still to be decided.

Trae Young had 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting to lead the Hawks, who lost despite holding New York to 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Knicks shot 53.6 percent from the field, including a 15-for-29 performance beyond the arc.

"At this point in the year, it's not a 'flush-it game,'" Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. "You take from it what you need to take from it, go forward and be better. There's got to be that urgency at this point."

Atlanta had a wild win over Utah in their last matchup. Trae Young hit a buzzer-beating shot from behind the halfcourt line to lift the Hawks to a thrilling 124-121 win in Salt Lake City in January.

Kevin Porter Jr. had 24 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists off the bench for the Bucks, who won their third straight. Brook Lopez, who had 17 points, sank a layup with 38.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 111.

Both Kyle Anderson of Miami and Antetokounmpo missed midrange jumpers, sending the game to overtime, where the Bucks outscored the Heat 10-4. Milwaukee won its fourth in a row over Miami and completed the season series sweep. It is the first time the Bucks have swept the series in 10 seasons.

Bam Adebayo paced Miami with 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Alec Burks chipped in with 24 points as the Heat lost their second straight game after winning six in a row.

Knicks 121, Hawks 105

Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points and 11 rebounds, OG Anunoby added 14 points and New York cruised to the road win over Atlanta.

All five Knicks starters scored in double figures, including Josh Hart, who finished with 16 points, 11 assists and nine boards. Mikal Bridges had 20 points and Delon Wright scored 10 for New York, which won its fourth in five games.

Trae Young had 16 points and nine assists for the Hawks, while both Terance Mann and Caris LeVert scored 14 off the bench. Atlanta dropped its fifth in six games, dropping to seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Grizzlies 109, Pistons 103

Desmond Bane scored nine of his game-high 38 points in the final 2:50 to lift visiting Memphis past Detroit.

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 27 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, which won its ninth straight game against the Pistons. Grizzlies big man Zach Edey finished with a career-high 21 boards and a team-high six assists. Scotty Pippen Jr. finished with 15 points.

Cade Cunningham, who returned after missing the past six games with a bruised left calf, led the Pistons with 25 points and nine rebounds. Ausar Thompson had 18 points and 11 boards and Isaiah Stewart finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Timberwolves 114, 76ers 109

Anthony Edwards scored 37 points, including a pair of clutch baskets down the stretch, to help Minnesotae earn a road win over Philadelphia for its fifth consecutive victory.

Minnesota avoided a costly stumble against a 76ers side coming in on a 10-game skid. The Timberwolves put the game away when Edwards hit a wild 3-point fling with 7.4 seconds remaining and the Timberwolves clinging to a two-point lead. Rudy Gobert finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks.

Minnesota is 3-0 on its five-game road swing and remains in contention for a guaranteed playoff berth in the tight Western Conference race. The Timberwolves got all they could handle from Philadelphia, who were led by Quentin Grimes (28 points) and Guerschon Yabusele (19 points).

Clippers 135, Mavericks 104

James Harden and Kawhi Leonard each scored 29 points as Los Angeles finished off a convincing victory over Dallas at Inglewood, Calif.

Ivica Zubac added 25 points with 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who improved to 11-2 since March 12. Harden added 14 assists as the Clippers won both games of a back-to-back against the Mavericks. Los Angeles pulled even with both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies while sitting a half-game behind the fifth-place Golden State Warriors.

Anthony Davis scored 27 points with nine rebounds after not playing Friday against the Clippers because of injury maintenance on a nagging abdominal injury. Dallas is ninth in the West and just percentage points ahead of the 10th-place Sacramento Kings, who hold the final play-in spot in the conference.

Ivica Zubac added 25 points with 10 rebounds for the Clippers (46-32), who improved to 11-2 since March 12, while winning 11 of their last 12 home games. The Clippers had a pair of injury scares in the first half, but Norman Powell (thigh) and Derrick Jones Jr. (ankle) remained in the game.

Harden added 14 assists as the Clippers won both games of a back-to-back against the Mavericks. Los Angeles pulled even with both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies while sitting a half game behind the fifth-place Golden State Warriors.

Leonard did not play his first game of the season until early January because of knee discomfort but has shown his productivity of late with an average of 26.2 points over his last 12 contests.

Anthony Davis scored 27 points with nine rebounds in just his seventh game with Dallas after a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers in February. Davis did not play Friday against the Clippers because of injury maintenance on a nagging abdominal injury.

Kai Jones scored 18 points for the Mavericks (38-41) against his former team, while Klay Thompson scored 14 points after he departed Friday's game with an illness. Dereck Lively II played after he sat out Friday's game with an ankle injury but scored just two points in 15 minutes.

The Clippers ran away with the game by outscoring the Mavericks 44-30 in the third quarter when Zubac scored 13 points and Harden had 10, while Los Angeles shot 69.2 percent.

The Clippers scored 74 points in the second half to 52 for the Mavericks, who have lost two of their past three games. Dallas is ninth in the West and just percentage points ahead of the 10th-place Sacramento Kings, who hold the final play-in spot in the conference.

The Clippers were in control throughout, leading 33-21 after the opening period. Los Angeles had a 61-52 lead at halftime behind 19 points from Harden.

Antetokounmpo had a triple-double for Milwaukee (43-34), which won its third in a row, with 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Porter finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Miami (35-42) lost its second straight game after winning six in a row. Bam Adebayo led with 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Alec Burks added 24 points.

Miami gained the early edge as Adebayo dominated the first. The big man scored half of Miami's points in the quarter as the Heat took a 30-22 lead into the second.

The Bucks got a boost with 20 points from their bench in the second. Milwaukee took a slim lead and eventually went into halftime tied at 57.

The game remained tightly contested throughout the second half. Miami took a lead as high as six with 4:30 to play thanks to a 7-0 run, but that was the largest margin from that point on.

Antetokounmpo had an open look from mid-range that would have given Milwaukee the lead with less than a second to play, but it rimmed out and Adebayo didn't get a shot off with just 0.7 seconds on the clock at the end of regulation.

In overtime, the back-and-forth nature of this one continued. Ultimately, Porter and Antetokounmpo came through for the Bucks.

Porter tied the game at 115 with a layup and dished it to Antetokounmpo on a dunk that gave Milwaukee the lead. Then, with 11 seconds to go, Porter's tough layup in traffic put the game away.

There were 12 lead changes and 15 ties in the game.

Milwaukee won its fourth in a row over Miami and completed the four-game season series sweep. It is the first time the Bucks have swept the series in 10 seasons.

Minnesota (46-32) avoided a costly stumble against a 76ers side coming into Saturday's contest on a 10-game losing skid. The Timberwolves put the game away when Edwards hit a wild 3-point fling with 7.1 seconds remaining and the Timberwolves clinging to a two-point lead.

The triple capped an 18-point fourth quarter for Edwards, who shot 6-of-13 from beyond the arc for the contest.

The 3-pointer also helped Minnesota improve to 3-0 on its five-game road swing and remain in contention for a guaranteed playoff berth in the tight Western Conference race.

The Timberwolves got all they could handle from Philadelphia (23-55).

Quentin Grimes hit three straight 3-pointers over a 1:14 stretch late in the fourth quarter, then a pair of Guerschon Yabusele free throws helped the 76ers whittle a 10-point deficit to one in the final 105 seconds.

Edwards answered to stem the tide. With the shot clock winding down on Minnesota's ensuing possession, he dribbled from the right wing to the top of the key to create space, then sank a 3-pointer that pushed the Timberwolves lead to four points.

On the following Philly possession, Edwards grabbed a rebound and capitalized on the other end with another basket. His fast five points give Minnesota a 109-103 lead with just under a minute to go.

Grimes delivered another burst of five straight Philadelphia points, putting down a dunk off of an Adem Bona steal then sinking the last of his six 3-pointers on a 6-of-10 night from deep. Grimes finished with 28 points to lead the Sixers.

That sequence pulled Philadelphia to within two, setting up Edwards' decisive bucket.

Rudy Gobert finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks for Minnesota. Julius Randle scored 15 points, and Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench for 13.

Lonnie Walker IV scored 18 points and dished five assists off the bench for the Sixers. Yabusele scored 19 points and swiped three steals, while Jared Butler finished with 16 points and eight assists.

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 27 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis (46-32), which won its ninth straight game against the Pistons. Grizzlies big man Zach Edey finished with a career-high 21 boards and a team-high six assists. Scotty Pippen Jr. finished with 15 points.

Cade Cunningham, who returned after missing the past six games with a bruised left calf, led the Pistons (43-35) with 25 points and nine rebounds. Ausar Thompson had 18 points and 11 boards and Isaiah Stewart finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

The Pistons had already clinched their first playoff spot in six seasons the night before with a 117-105 victory over Toronto. They are assured of at least a sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Grizzlies remain in a late-season battle to escape the play-in tournament. Memphis entered the game in a three-way tie for sixth in the Western Conference. Teams that finish seventh through 10th participate in the play-in.

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant was a late scratch, downgraded from starter to questionable just 30 minutes before tipoff. He sat out because of what the Grizzlies' television broadcast team reported as food poisoning.

Detroit was without big man Jalen Duren, who missed the game with a right leg contusion.

Bane's 18-foot jumper with 2:50 left gave Memphis a 99-94 lead. He added a 3-pointer with 53.1 seconds to go for a 104-98 Grizzlies advantage and his two free throws with 19.1 seconds remaining put Memphis ahead 107-100.

Memphis led by as many as nine points early in the third quarter behind Bane and Jackson Jr., but Detroit closed strong. A 10-0 run gave the Pistons a 72-70 lead following a shot by Thompson with 1:15 to go. Paul Reed's baseline jumper ended the third quarter and put the Pistons ahead 77-75.

Malik Beasley's 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the third quarter, his 300th of the season, moved him into elite company. He became only the fourth player in NBA history with 300 or more 3s in a season, joining Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and James Harden.

A 52nd win by the Rockets (51-27) would assure them at least a tie for second place with the Los Angeles Lakers (47-30), who visit Oklahoma City in an afternoon affair Sunday. The Rockets and Lakers are 1-1 in their season series -- a potential seeding tiebreaker -- with one final regular-season meeting Friday in Los Angeles.

The Warriors (46-31) will also have their eye on the Lakers-Thunder matchup as a Los Angeles defeat would drop it into a tie with Golden State in the loss column, pending the evening result in San Francisco. A Warriors win also could allow them to pass Denver (47-31), which hosts Indiana on Sunday, for the fourth spot with one week to play.

History says Golden State is a team the Rockets would love to avoid in the playoffs. The Warriors have won three of four in this season's series after having entered the year on a 13-game winning streak in head-to-head matchups.

The Warriors haven't lost to the Rockets in San Francisco since Feb. 20, 2020, which was so long ago, James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 50 points for the winners, while Damion Lee started in place of his brother-in-law, Stephen Curry, for Golden State. Curry was out with a broken left hand.

The teams will be meeting for the second time since Jimmy Butler III joined the Warriors in early February. Curry had 27 points and Butler 19 in a 105-98 Golden State road win in the team's fourth game after the trade with Miami.

Golden State has gone 21-5 since the blockbuster, but equally important, have gone 7-2 since Brandin Podziemski joined Curry and Butler in the starting lineup after missing five games with a back injury. The Warriors are 14-0 this season when Draymond Green and Moses Moody have joined that trio in the starting lineup.

While Curry and Butler have attracted most of the attention, Podziemski has been a major contributor in three of the victories in Golden State's current five-game winning streak, scoring 26+ points in three of those games. During the stretch, he has sunk 20 out of 38 3-point attempts.

Podziemski believes his current hot streak has actually benefitted Curry, who has averaged 41.7 points in his last three games.

"I look at me, Moses, JK (Jonathan Kuminga), Quinten (Post) all helping Jimmy and Steph," he insisted. "By us being a threat, us scoring ... Peyton Watson was on me (Friday night), and usually they put (Michael) Porter Jr. on me. So them having to take another quality defender off of Steph just helps our team."

The Rockets have won five of six, including a 125-111 message-deliverer at home over the Thunder on Friday. That began a closing stretch in which the Rockets, after dealing with the Warriors, will head to Southern California to take on both LA teams, then home to duel the Nuggets in the regular-season finale.

Houston beat Oklahoma City without Dillon Brooks, who missed the game on a one-game suspension for technical foul accumulation. He is expected back to face the Warriors.

The Rockets, who hadn't made the postseason since 2020, hope to follow the lead of Alperen Sengun, who was in playoff mode against the Thunder.

"I was just locked in. I wanted to dominate the game," h said. "I was making myself mad before the game ... that was my mentality."

After spending much of this season vying for the second position in the Western Conference, Denver (47-31) has slipped below the Los Angeles Lakers into the fourth spot.

The Nuggets can conceivably sink as low as eighth -- and relegated to the play-in tournament -- a possibility head coach Michael Malone is well aware of.

"I've been saying that for a while," he said. "I think people think I'm crazy, I think our players think I'm crazy. I don't know how often our players look at the standings or fully understand head-to-heads, tiebreakers ... I don't think they understand the strength of our schedule compared to some of these teams behind us, and how well some of these teams are playing."

Denver's losing streak stretched to three games after succumbing 118-104 to the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Friday.

The Nuggets coughed up a whopping 25 turnovers, continuing a concerning trend that has symbolized their slump.

When asked if the issue can be rectified in time for the playoffs, superstar center Nikola Jokic wasn't exuding confidence.

"I mean, it's not fixed (the) last two years -- on and off," he said. "I think we have a problem. We are playing, we are passing the ball -- that's our style, so we just need to be a little bit more cautious. Hopefully we can do a much better job in our last four games."

The absence of Jamal Murray (right hamstring injury) in Denver's past four outings hasn't aided the Nuggets' cause. There is no concrete return date in sight.

"I don't know when Jamal is going to be back," Malone said. "Obviously not having Jamal is a big loss for us with how well he's played, but that's how it goes sometimes. We've lost three games in a row. We've got to fight through it, play with more urgency, play a little bit harder and with a lot more discipline."

Indiana (46-31) is ranked fourth in the East and trending in a different direction to Denver, having registered three straight wins.

The latest success came in Indianapolis on Friday, where the Pacers rode a 42-18 fourth quarter to sprint home against the Utah Jazz, 140-112.

Big men Myles Turner (26 points) and Pascal Siakam (22) led an even charge, as no Indiana player played more than 29 minutes.

"I think it's important," Siakam said when asked about managing minutes at this late stage of the season. "Obviously we know the intensity that's coming with the playoffs. As long as we can just keep the momentum going, continue to work on our habits and get some rest within that, I think it's a win for us.

"We've got to peak at the right time -- and this is the time to play our best basketball ... all these games are important, and even more important games are coming up in the playoffs. We've just got to be ready and everybody's got to buy in."

The Nuggets have won their last nine meetings vs. the Pacers. The last time Indiana beat Denver was Jan. 19, 2020.

Neither team has been officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Portland (34-44) still has the best chance of the two of working its way into the postseason. The Trail Blazers are three spots and three and a half games behind 10th-place Sacramento with just four games to play after a 118-113 loss in Chicago on Friday.

Deni Avdija led the short-handed Trail Blazers with 37 points and 11 rebounds in the loss while Dalano Banton contributed 21 points, Shaedon Sharpe hit for 17 points and Donovan Clingan pulled in 18 rebounds for Portland.

The Trail Blazers hung tough despite having six key players (including leading scorer Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton and Scoot Henderson) on the sidelines with injuries. Portland committed a season-low five turnovers in the setback and had 20 second-chance points off 19 offensive rebounds, seven of those from Clingan.

"Our offensive rebounds really hurt Chicago throughout the night," Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. "We didn't shoot it well anywhere, to be honest with you. But offensive rebounds kept us in it."

Portland has dropped five of its past seven games. To surpass the Kings, the Trail Blazers must win their final four games and have Sacramento lose its final five because the Kings also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Spurs (32-45) head to the Pacific Northwest for the first of a four-game road trip and after a 114-113 loss to East-leading Cleveland on Friday.

San Antonio roared from behind in the final three minutes against the Cavaliers, forging a 14-2 run to pull within a point with 4.6 seconds to play. But Harrison Barnes missed a contested layup at the buzzer, dropping the Spurs to the sixth loss in their past seven games.

"These guys have found a way to not go away numerous times and that just speaks to them individually and collectively as a group," San Antonio acting coach Mitch Johnson said about his team. "You wish that ball would've bounced in for their sake because they put so much into this deal. It's very rewarding as a coach at times to have that type of fight in your team."

Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 24 points in the loss, while Barnes added 23. Stephon Castle racked up 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and Julian Champagnie scored 15 points. San Antonio trailed by 23 in the second quarter and by 16 in the fourth before fighting back.

"In the second half, we did a better job of fighting, getting back into it," Barnes said afterward. "But the deficit that we created in the first half, I think that's where the growth opportunity is for us -- avoiding those situations."

San Antonio sits five games in back of Sacramento with five games remaining in the regular season.

The Spurs have captured the first three games against Portland in the season series, winning twice at home on Nov. 7 and Dec. 21, respectively, and in Rip City on Dec. 13.

The Cavaliers (62-15) will have to beat a Kings team that is in a three-way dogfight for the last two spots in the play-in tournament in the West, and a team that handed them a 123-119 loss on March 19.

Cleveland struggled to close out San Antonio on Friday, surviving 114-113 on a miss by Harrison Barnes at the buzzer. The Cavs led by 23 in the first half but struggled with turnovers and poor shooting down the stretch.

"That's the proverbial bullet right there," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said afterwards. "They took it to us in the second half. We didn't come out with the requisite focus we needed in the second half. They dominated us and we hung on. Now we got to get back home. We've got one more game to clinch the first seed and take care of business."

Sacramento (37-40) enters the game holding on to the last play-in spot by two full games over the Phoenix Suns. It has been a topsy-turvy season for the Kings, with Doug Christie taking over as head coach right after Christmas and a trade of De'Aaron Fox for a package headlined by former Bulls star Zach LaVine.

This is the fifth game of a six-game road trip for the Kings, who also play Monday night against the Pistons.

"We've got two tough games back-to-back," said Kings forward Domantas Sabonis. "Two teams that will be waiting for us. It's win or go home, so I hope everyone is locked in."

"We've got some tough teams coming up, one that we beat, one that beat us on a last-second shot, so they'll be ready for us," said Christie, who is 24-22 since taking over. "You just have to bring it. These are the types of games where you find yourself."

LaVine and DeMar DeRozan have begun to show signs of meshing on the floor together for the Kings, and Sabonis can be the third option. He missed multiple games with a sprained ankle but has averaged 18.1 points since returning March 24. He had 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the Kings' win over the Hornets on Friday.

"If Domas had played more, he ends up with a triple-double," said Christie. "He never ceases to amaze me. He's always sacrificing with his body, always sacrificing with his approach. As a team, as an organization and our fan base, we need to love him up for that."

The Cavs lead the NBA in points per game (122.2) and are second in field goal percentage (49.2). Donovan Mitchell has averaged 24 points, while Darius Garland has chipped in with 20.6. De'Andre Hunter, who the Cavs traded for before the deadline, has become the first player off the bench.

Cleveland center Jarrett Allen played only 16 minutes against the Spurs, sitting out the entire second half to rest him for the final stretch.

The last time Cleveland was the No. 1 seed in the East, they were led by LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and won the NBA title in seven games over Golden State.

"I wouldn't change anything," Atkinson said. "It's been a great regular season. We have great chemistry. We have a good group that's trying to take it to the next level."

The Celtics (57-20) rebounded from having their nine-game winning streak ended in a loss to Miami on Wednesday, blowing out the Phoenix Suns on Friday, 123-103.

With its 14 3-pointers made on 39 attempts vs. Phoenix, Boston passed the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most triples made in a regular season. The 2024-25 Celtics are 1,370-for-3,718 (36.8 percent), which accounts for a significant portion of their 116.8 points per game.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said on Friday the 3-point record comes from "the versatility of our guys."

"The ability to manipulate matchups and the ability to take advantage of different coverages, everything is designed to the strengths and the versatility of our guys," he said of the Celtics offensive approach. "They're able to create those 2-on-1, they're able to create shots for themselves. But they're also able to create easy shots for each other."

Derrick White, Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard all average more than three made 3-pointers per game; Pritchard at 3.2 on 7.8 attempts (41.2 percent).

White is shooting 3.5-of-9.1 per game (38.2 percent), while Tatum connects at a rate of 3.5-of-10.1 (34.4 percent) a contest. For Tatum, the volume of 3-pointers he makes an outing contributes to his 26.9-point per game output, the fifth-highest in the league.

Tatum scored 23 points on Friday despite going 1-of-8 from deep, while Jaylen Brown went for 31 points. Boston's recent run guarantees it no worse than the second-best record in the East.

The Celtics are eight games ahead of third-place New York and five games behind conference-leading Cleveland with five remaining dates for each.

Washington (17-60) begins its final week of the season at risk of a second consecutive season without reaching 20 wins. The Wizards surpassed last year's franchise-worst 15-67 mark, but they limp into Boston having lost 9 of the last 11.

Washington fell to Orlando on Thursday, 109-97, despite a spectacular performance from Bub Carrington. He amassed a career-high 32 points with nine rebounds and seven assists.

"His energy is genuine," Marcus Smart said to the Washington Post of Carrington. "It's definitely a gravitational pull that he has, and we're proud of him, man. He's been through a lot, and yet he comes in, day in and day out, smile on his face and he competes."

A guard, the rookie Carrington has dished at least seven assists in each of the last three games and scored in double figures in 4-of-5.

Fellow rookie Alex Sarr heads into Sunday's contest having scored in double-figures in six of Washington's last seven, despite shooting 0-for-5 from beyond the arc in his 10-point performance on Thursday.

The young Wizards try to avert a season sweep against the Celtics. Boston won each of the previous three meetings by double-digit points.

Josh Hart finished a rebound shy of a triple-double for the Knicks with 16 points and 11 assists. OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Mikal Bridges added 20.

Trae Young had 16 points and nine assists for the Hawks, who had six players in double figures. Terance Mann and Caris LeVert each scored 14 off the bench.

The win keeps the Knicks (49-28), who have won four of their last five, locked as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, three games ahead of the Indiana Pacers. The Hawks (36-41), who have lost five of their last six, fell 1 1/2 games behind the idle Orlando Magic for the seventh spot.

The Knicks set a season high with 78 first-half points, shooting 68.8 percent (11 of 16) from 3-point range and 67.4 percent (29 of 43) from the floor in the half.

For the game, New York shot 53.6 percent (45 of 84) from the floor and 51.7 percent (15 of 29) from beyond the arc, while the Hawks finished at 46.6 percent (41 of 88) from the floor and 31.1 percent (14 of 45) from 3-point range.

Towns got the Knicks' offense rolling with a straight-on three, then Hart completed classic three-point play in the first quarter as New York took a 19-14 lead. New York went up 12 on a pair of free throws by Anunoby, but Atlanta closed the first half with a 7-2 run and trailed 38-31 after one.

In the second quarter, Towns appeared to jam a finger on his left hand and missed two minutes while getting it taped. Other than that, it was a nearly flawless 12 minutes for the Knicks as every shot they tried seemed to swish.

The Knicks went on a game-changing 15-0 run, with Cameron Payne starting things off with a three and Bridges and Anunoby knocking down threes to push the lead to 66-41 with 3:44 left in the half. The lead ballooned to 31 in the first half and was as much as 34 in the second. New York led 78-53 at the break.

New York is still not at full strength, but before the game coach Tom Thibodeau said that star guard Jalen Brunson was "very close" to returning and there were multiple media reports that he would play in Sunday's home game against the Phoenix Suns. He's 14 games due to a sprained right ankle.

Hawks star defender Dyson Daniels had two more steals, giving him a league-leading 219 for the season, the most for any NBA player since Allen Iverson had 225 in 2002-03.

Redick and the Lakers will get another chance to work on the process when Los Angeles visits the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday for the first of consecutive games between the teams.

"I don't think the expectation, at least internally for us, was we're going to be the 2016-17 Warriors or this year's Oklahoma City Thunder. We didn't expect that," Redick said of the fact his team is being outscored when Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves are on the court at the same time. "So the disjointedness of an in-season trade is there."

The Lakers seem to be heading in the right direction, though, winning three of their last four. Sunday's game is the start of a challenging test to close the regular season with Los Angeles playing four of the final five games on the road.

The Lakers (47-30) are coming off a 124-108 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans, where the Doncic-James-Reaves trio combined for 92 points. Doncic led the way with 35 points and Reaves had 30 with six 3-pointers.

"Those guys, I think, are committed to making it work with each other when they're on the court," Redick said. "... They're committed to making it work when there are two of them on the court or one of them is on the court. It's a work in progress. We all knew that was gonna be the case."

That cohesion figures to be tested by the Thunder.

While the Pelicans are next-to-last in the NBA in defensive rating at 118.8, Oklahoma City (64-13) leads the league at 106.2.

"We're gonna have three massive tests, come home and have another massive test, and then play a really tough Portland team," said Redick, whose team also has visits to Dallas and Portland ahead. "So if our spirit is right, I can live with the result. And I'm pretty confident that the results will be more good than bad."

While the Thunder's status as the top seed in the Western Conference is secure with five games left in the regular season, the Lakers are still battling for position.

Los Angeles entered Saturday's play a half game ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the third spot in the West and 3 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets for the No. 2 seed.

The Thunder are coming off Friday's 125-111 loss at Houston, which snapped their 11-game winning streak and ended their chance at becoming the third team in NBA history to win 70 or more games in one season.

"I think you can learn a lot more from a loss," Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams said. "I think (with) winning, the sensation gets a little numb to the point where you take a lot of things for granted. When you lose, you start to think about all the stuff that actually go into winning a game."

Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn't been as efficient the last two games, shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from 3-point range in Wednesday's win over the Detroit Pistons and Friday's loss to the Rockets.

Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting 51.9 percent overall and 37.1 percent on 3-pointers this season. He also leads the NBA with 32.6 points per game.

In the only other meeting with the Lakers this season, a 101-93 Thunder win on Nov. 29 in Los Angeles, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36.

The Nets (25-52) enter the final week of the regular season with a nine-percent chance of winning the NBA draft lottery. Brooklyn also has three other first-round picks outside of the lottery from previous trades with the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks.

Brooklyn is finishing its fifth 50-loss season since moving from New Jersey following the 2011-12 season.

The Nets are 16-42 after getting off to a 9-10 start with a roster that featured veterans Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder. They were eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, respectively.

The Nets acquired D'Angelo Russell in the deal for Finney-Smith but on Thursday, they played the guard for 12 minutes in a 105-90 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Russell did not score as he played on a sore right ankle and his availability for Sunday remains undecided.

"No. 1 is to get a look at these younger guys during an important part of the game, where you can see how they handle it, but yeah he's been dealing with the ankle and just trying to be smart with that," Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernandez said.

On Thursday, the Nets used their 39th different starting lineup when Maxwell Lewis made his first NBA start. Lewis was also acquired with Russell from the Lakers and was the starting lineup with Nic Claxton, whose 18 points equaled the center's fourth-highest total this season.

Claxton's output came on a night when younger players such as Dariq Whitehead (17 points) and Tosan Evbuomwan (13 points) contributed.

Cameron Johnson (back) also did not play Thursday and has missed four of the past eight games. Without Johnson, Trendon Watford made his first start this season and combined with Lewis to score 21 points, as the Nets shot 42.7 percent from the floor and were held under 100 points for the 24th time.

Toronto (28-50) enters with a 7.5 percent chance of winning the lottery and returns to Brooklyn after rolling to a wire-to-wire 116-86 rout against the Nets on March 26.

The Raptors, who hold their own first-round pick, are hoping for a massive turnaround next season, especially after acquiring Brandon Ingram and signing the veteran to a three-year, $120 million contract following his arrival from the New Orleans Pelicans.

"There are a lot of reasons that go into that (but) we're hoping that we can continue developing our players, that they're going to make a jump next season and they're going to really use this summer the right way," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters. "With the addition of Brandon Ingram on our team, we're really hopeful the next year is going to be the start of something really special for us."

Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett were in the starting lineup for their last encounter with the Nets but neither played in Friday's 117-105 home loss to the Detroit Pistons. Barnes sat out with a hand injury after he shot 27 of 81 (33.3 percent) over his previous six games, while Barrett rested for the fourth time in eight games.

Toronto's Orlando Robinson dominated the previous meeting at Brooklyn by totaling 23 and 12 rebounds when he started in place of Jakob Poeltl

The Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter, who began a run of six consecutive starts the last meeting, scored 22 points Friday, marking the eighth time in his past nine games the rookie reached double figures.