The two top teams in the Western Conference, the Warriors and Grizzlies, were in action on Saturday night and both rolled to comfortable victories. As the season nears the end, it is vital to see which teams are competitors and which are going to miss out on the playoffs and last night’s slate helped clear that up.
Let’s get to the games:
 |
Sacramento Kings | 97 | (22-43) |
 |
Washington Wizards | 113 | (38-28) |
| Final | |||
Washington continued their march to the Eastern Conference playoffs, beating Sacramento on Saturday night. John Wall had 31 points and 12 assists to pace the Wizards, who made 13 three pointers. DeMarcus Cousins had 30 points, six assists, and five rebounds to pace the Kings, but they were only six of 19 from three point range. Sacramento will face Atlanta next and Washington turns its focus to Portland.
 |
Boston Celtics | 93 | (29-36) |
 |
Indiana Pacers | 89 | (30-35) |
| Final | |||
Boston stayed in the Eastern Conference Playoff race, beating the Indiana Pacers 93-89 to move within one game of the seventh spot in the East. Tyler Zeller led the Celtics with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Brandon Bass added 16 points and five rebounds. George Hill led the Pacers with a game high 30 points and eight assists, but they had 14 turnovers and only shot 40% from the field. The Pacers turn their focus to the Raptors while the Celtics will face off with the 76ers.
 |
Brooklyn Nets | 94 | (26-38) |
 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 87 | (15-51) |
| Final | |||
Brooklyn is 2 1/2 games out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but won Saturday night over Philadelphia to keep pace. Thaddeus Young had 21 points and nine rebounds to pace the Nets and Jarrett Jack had 12 points and eight assists off the bench. Nerlens Noel had 17 points and seven rebounds to pace the 76ers, but the team was only eight of 37 from three point range. Philadelphia turns their focus to a matchup with Boston while the Nets will face Minnesota.
 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 83 | (34-32) |
 |
Memphis Grizzlies | 96 | (46-20) |
| Final | |||
Memphis fortified their place as the second seed in the Western Conference, beating the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Each starter was in double digit points for the Grizzlies, Courtney Lee led the team with 16 points, and Tony Allen had four steals off of the bench. Giannis Antetokoumpo scored a game high 19 points and Tyler Ennis added 11 assists, but the Bucks were only five of 19 on three point field goals. Milwaukee turns their focus to New Orleans while Memphis will face Denver.
 |
Detroit Pistons | 85 | (23-43) |
 |
Utah Jazz | 88 | (29-36) |
| Final | |||
Neither the Pistons nor the Jazz will be in the playoffs this season, but that did not stop them from having a competitive game in Utah, with the Jazz winning. Derek Favors had 26 points and four blocks and Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 19 rebounds to lead Utah to victory. Greg Monroe had 16 points and 13 rebounds to fuel the Pistons, but Detroit only shot 38.1% from the field. Detroit looks to a matchup with Memphis while the Jazz will face off with Charlotte.
 |
New York Knicks | 94 | (13-52) |
 |
Golden State Warriors | 125 | (52-13) |
| Final | |||
The best team only looks better as the the Golden State Warriors rolled over the New York Knicks on Saturday night. Stephen Curry had 25 points and 11 assists to lead the Warriors and Klay Thompson added a game high 27 points for the league’s highest scoring offense. Andrea Bargnani had 18 points and three rebounds to lead the Knicks, who only shot 39.6% from the field as the Knicks stayed 1 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for the league’s worst record. New York looks to rebound against Phoenix while Golden State has the Los Angeles Lakers next on the schedule.