A ten game slate was headlined by LeBron James returning to Miami to face the Heat. There were also three games that contested teams that are battling for the playoffs. This was a highly competitive schedule that had huge performances.
Let’s get to the games:
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Portland Trail Blazers | 97 | (44-21) |
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Washington Wizards | 105 | (39-28) |
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The Wizards held on tightly to their playoff position, beating the Trail Blazers on Monday night. John Wall led the Wizards with 21 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds and Bradley Beal added 23 points and seven assists. LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game high 24 points for the Trail Blazers, but the team only shot 40.4% from the field. Portland will face Miami and Washington is going to Utah to play the Jazz.
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Toronto Raptors | 117 | (40-27) |
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Indiana Pacers | 98 | (30-36) |
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The Raptors kept up pace with the top seeds in the Eastern Conference, beating the Pacers on Monday night. Kyle Lowry had a triple-double, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals, and Louis Williams scored a game high 24 points off of the bench for Toronto. George Hill scored 23 points for the Pacers, but Indiana shot two of 19 on three point field goals. Indiana will play Chicago and the Raptors will face off with Minnesota.
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Philadelphia 76ers | 89 | (15-52) |
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Boston Celtics | 108 | (30-36) |
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Boston stayed in the race for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, beating Philadelphia on Monday. Tyler Zeller scored 26 points for Boston and Avery Bradley scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had six assists. Nerlens Noel led the 76ers with 18 points, but the 76ers only shot 40.5% from the field and were 13-24 on free throws. Philadelphia will play Detroit and Boston will face off with Oklahoma City.
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Brooklyn Nets | 122 | (27-38) |
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Minnesota Timberwolves | 106 | (14-52) |
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Brooklyn kept their slim hopes alive for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, beating the Timberwolves on Monday night. Joe Johnson scored 22 points in only 25 minutes and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points as the Nets shot 57.8% from the field. Kevin Martin scored a game high 23 points for the Timberwolves, but the Timberwolves could not hold back the Nets offensive onslaught. Minnesota will play Toronto and Brooklyn turns their focus to Cleveland.
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Cleveland Cavaliers | 92 | (43-26) |
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Miami Heat | 106 | (30-36) |
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LeBron James returned to Miami for the second time in a Cavaliers jersey and the Heat upset the Cavaliers. Dwyane Wade scored 32 points to fuel the Heat and Hassan Whiteside scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked three shots. LeBron James scored 26 points and Kyrie Irving scored 21 points and had six assists for Cleveland, but Cleveland only shot 38% from the field. Cleveland will play Brooklyn next and Miami turns their focus to Portland.
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Denver Nuggets | 81 | (26-42) |
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Memphis Grizzlies | 92 | (47-20) |
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Memphis continued their march for the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs, beating Denver on Monday night. Zach Randolph scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Jameer Nelson scored a game high 24 points for the Nuggets, but Denver only shot 37% from the field and were outshot from the free throw line 24 to 13. Denver will play Houston in their next game and Memphis will play Detroit.
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Oklahoma City Thunder | 115 | (37-30) |
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Dallas Mavericks | 119 | (43-25) |
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Dallas edged Oklahoma City in a battle of Western Conference playoff hopefuls in Dallas. Chandler Parson scored a game high 31 points for the Mavericks and Rajon Rondo had 11 points and 13 assists to fuel Dallas’ victory. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 24 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds and Enes Kanter had 19 points and 13 rebounds, but the Thunder had 21 turnovers. Oklahoma City looks to get back to their winning ways in their next game against Boston while Dallas looks to stay hot against Orlando.
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Charlotte Hornets | 66 | (29-36) |
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Utah Jazz | 94 | (30-36) |
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Charlotte could not keep pace with the competitors for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff, slumping to a loss in Utah against the Jazz. Rodney Hood scored 24 points to led the Jazz and Rudy Gobert scored nine points and grabbed 22 rebounds. Lance Stephenson scored 17 points, but the Hornets only shot 29.5% from the field. Charlotte looks to get back to winning ways in Los Angeles against the Clippers while Utah plays Washington.
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Atlanta Hawks | 110 | (53-14) |
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Sacramento Kings | 103 | (22-44) |
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Atlanta kept pace with Golden State for the best record in the NBA, beating Sacramento on the road on Monday. Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 19 points and 10 rebounds with Jeff Teague contributing a game high 23 points. Sacramento had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks for the Kings, who could not overcome 20 turnovers. Sacramento will play in Los Angeles against the Clippers in a battle of California teams while Atlanta has a potential NBA Finals preview on Wednesday against Golden State.
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Los Angeles Lakers | 105 | (17-49) |
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Golden State Warriors | 108 | (53-13) |
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Golden State edged the Lakers to maintain their record as the top team in the NBA. Klay Thompson scored 26 points and Stephen Curry had 19 points and nine assists to lead the Warriors. Jordan Hill scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Jordan Clarkson and Wayne Ellington scored 17 points to fuel the upset effort, but the Lakers could not overcome 18 turnovers. The Lakers will play Utah next and the Warriors have a huge matchup with the Hawks next.