Although Cleveland looked strong, two other Eastern Conference powers fell on Sunday. It was a very full slate on Sunday, with 11 games, and great performances littered the NBA schedule. There was a 40 point game, a 20 rebound game, and multiple double-doubles. As the season draws to an end, each of these matchups are pivotal and go a long way in deciding playoff positioning.
Let’s get to the games:
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Cleveland Cavaliers | 108 | (46-26) |
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Milwaukee Bucks | 90 | (34-36) |
| Final | |||
Cleveland may not catch Atlanta for the first seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but they will continue to apply pressure; they beat Milwaukee on Sunday and appear to be in playoff form. LeBron James had 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and five steals to lead the Cavaliers. Each Bucks starter had double digit points, with Michael Carter-Williams leading the Bucks with 19 points, but Milwaukee could not overcome 23 turnovers. Milwaukee looks to get on the right track against Miami and Cleveland looks forward to Memphis.
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San Antonio Spurs | 114 | (44-25) |
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Atlanta Hawks | 95 | (53-17) |
| Final | |||
The defending champion Spurs look like they are ready to defend their title, beating Eastern Conference top seed Atlanta on the road. A balanced Spurs effort was lead by Kawhi Leonard’s 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals and Tiago Splitter had a game high 23 points. The Hawks were led by 22 points from Paul Millsap, but the Hawks had 18 turnovers in losing their third straight game. Atlanta looks to end their skid against Orlando and San Antonio has a matchup with fellow Western Conference playoff foe Dallas.
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Miami Heat | 75 | (32-37) |
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Oklahoma City Thunder | 93 | (40-30) |
| Final | |||
Oklahoma City continues its strong push in the Western Conference playoff race, beating Miami on Sunday afternoon. Russell Westbrook notched his 10th triple-double of the season, posting 10 points, 17 assists, and 10 rebounds, and Enes Kanter scored a game high 27 points to lead the Thunder. Miami was led by 13 points by Hassan Whiteside, but limped to 39.5% shooting from the field. Miami looks to warm up against Milwaukee and Oklahoma City has a matchup with the Lakers.
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New Orleans Pelicans | 100 | (37-33) |
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Los Angeles Clippers | 107 | (46-25) |
| Final | |||
In a matchup of two Western Conference playoff competitors, the Clippers outlasted the Pelicans. Three Clippers starters scored 20 or more points, led by Chris Paul with 23 points and 11 assists, and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 16 rebounds. New Orleans was led by 26 points and 12 rebounds from Anthony Davis, but had 18 turnovers. New Orleans looks to get back in the playoff race against Houston while the Clippers look to beat the team with the worst record in the league, New York.
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New York Knicks | 89 | (14-56) |
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Toronto Raptors | 106 | (42-28) |
| Final | |||
Toronto moved ahead of Chicago in the Eastern Conference playoff race, beating New York on Sunday. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points for the Raptors and Jonas Valanciunas added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Lance Thomas scored a game high 24 points for the Knicks, but New York shot 41.7% from the field. New York looks to get back to their winning ways against Memphis and Toronto will face Detroit.
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Detroit Pistons | 105 | (26-44) |
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Boston Celtics | 97 | (30-39) |
| Final – OT | |||
Detroit stayed alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race, earning a road victory against Boston. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 27 points for the Pistons and Andre Drummond scored 18 points and grabbed 22 rebounds as well. Six players were in double figure points for the Celtics, led by Evan Turner’s 23 points, but only shot 36.2% from the field. Boston looks to get back to its winning ways against Brooklyn while Detroit looks to stay alive in the playoff race against Toronto.
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Washington Wizards | 86 | (40-30) |
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Sacramento Kings | 109 | (24-45) |
| Final | |||
Sacramento upset the Wizards in Washington this Sunday, as Washington slipped a game and half behind Chicago for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Rudy Gay scored 26 points for Sacramento and DeMarcus Cousins added 20 points to fuel the upset for Sacramento. Bradley Beal scored 19 points for the Wizards, but Washington only shot 40.2% from the field. Washington looks to get back to its winning ways against Golden State and Sacramento will face Philadelphia.
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Denver Nuggets | 119 | (27-44) |
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Orlando Magic | 100 | (22-50) |
| Final | |||
Denver’s offensive outbreak was enough to beat Orlando on the road on Sunday night. Danilo Gallinari made six three point field goals and scored 40 points to lead the Nuggets. Victor Olapido scored 21 points for the Magic and Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, but Orlando had 18 turnovers. Orlando looks to get back to their winning ways against Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta and Denver looks to stay hot against Philadelphia.
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Charlotte Hornets | 109 | (30-38) |
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Minnesota Timberwolves | 98 | (15-54) |
| Final | |||
Charlotte holds their place as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, beating Minnesota on Sunday night. Mo Williams scored 24 points off of the bench and Al Jefferson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Seven Timberwolves scored in double digits, led by Gorgui Dieng’s 16 points, but Minnesota only created seven Charlotte turnovers. Minnesota looks to get back on the right track against Utah and Charlotte looks to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race against Chicago.
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Dallas Mavericks | 92 | (44-27) |
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Phoenix Suns | 98 | (38-33) |
| Final | |||
Phoenix had a hard fought win home win against Dallas to keep up with the race for the last spots in the Western Conference playoffs. Eric Bledsoe scored 20 points, had nine assists, and grabbed six rebounds to fuel the Suns. Dallas had 19 points from Chandler Parsons, but only shot 38.5% from the field. Dallas looks to get on the right track against San Antonio while Phoenix looks to stay in the Western Conference playoff race against Sacramento.
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Philadelphia 76ers | 87 | (17-53) |
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Los Angeles Lakers | 101 | (18-50) |
| Final | |||
Although both teams are struggling this season, the Lakers earned a hard fought victory over Philadelphia on Sunday night. Jeremy Lin scored a game high 29 points for the Lakers off of the bench to fuel the victory for Los Angeles. Thomas Robinson scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Sixers, but Philadelphia shot 36% from the field. Philadelphia will play Sacramento next and the Lakers have a matchup with Oklahoma City.