There were three matchups of Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference on Monday night and, with three double-digit victories, the Western Conference showed that it is the stronger conference. The Eastern Conference playoff race should not be discounted though; one team clinched a spot, while three others are in a tight race for the past spot in the playoffs.
Let’s get to the games:
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Houston Rockets | 110 | (47-23) |
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Indiana Pacers | 100 | (30-40) |
| Final | |||
Houston left a serious dent in Indiana’s race for the Eastern Conference playoffs, winning on the road on Monday night. James Harden continued to strengthen his MVP case, posting 44 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks to lead the Rockets. CJ Watson scored 23 points off of the bench for the Pacers and Roy Hibbert had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but the Pacers were only eight for 24 on three point field goals. The Pacers, now a game back of Boston for the eight spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, will face Washington next and the Rockets, entrenched as the third seed in the Western Conference, will look to beat Western Conference playoff hopeful New Orleans.
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Memphis Grizzlies | 103 | (50-21) |
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New York Knicks | 82 | (14-57) |
| Final | |||
Memphis rolled over New York for their 50th win this season, cementing their status as the second seed in the Western Conference with only 11 games remaining. A balanced effort by the Grizzlies was led by Zach Randolph’s 23 points and seven rebounds, while Marc Gasol contributed 21 points and eight rebounds. Langston Galloway had 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to fuel the Knicks, but the Knicks had 17 turnovers. New York looks towards a game with the Clippers and Memphis has a pivotal late season matchup with Eastern Conference power Cleveland.
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Boston Celtics | 110 | (31-39) |
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Brooklyn Nets | 91 | (29-40) |
| Final | |||
In a critical late season matchup of teams competing for the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, Boston beat Brooklyn to take a one and half game led on the Nets. Evan Turner broke out with a triple-double for the Celtics, 19 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, while Avery Bradley added 20 points for Boston. Brook Lopez scored a game high 31 points for the Nets and Deron Williams had 10 points and 10 assists to boost Brooklyn, but the Nets were a woeful one for 17 on three point field goals. Brooklyn has another matchup with an Eastern Conference playoff competitor, Charlotte, while Boston looks towards a matchup with Miami, who is currently seventh in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
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Charlotte Hornets | 86 | (30-39) |
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Chicago Bulls | 98 | (43-29) |
| Final | |||
Chicago clinched a playoff berth, currently sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference, and Charlotte moved a half game behind Boston for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, as Chicago beat Charlotte. Pau Gasol led the Bulls with 27 points and 12 rebounds and Nikola Mirotic had 28 points and eight rebounds off of the bench. Kemba Walker scored a game high 29 points for the Hornets, but Charlotte only shot 34.6% from the field. Charlotte looks to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race as they play fellow eighth seed competitor Brooklyn and the Bulls have a critical matchup with Toronto, who currently is third in the Eastern Conference.
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Minnesota Timberwolves | 106 | (16-54) |
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Utah Jazz | 104 | (31-39) |
| Final – OT | |||
Minnesota earned a hard fought overtime victory over Utah on Monday night. Zach LeVine made five three point field goals and had 27 points to lead the Timberwolves and Andrew Wiggins added 22 points to fuel Minnesota. Utah was led by 18 points, 17 rebounds, and six blocks by Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, but Utah was only nine for 28 on three point field goals. Utah has a matchup with Portland next and Minnesota will face the Lakers.
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Washington Wizards | 76 | (40-31) |
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Golden State Warriors | 107 | (57-13) |
| Final | |||
Washington fell further back in the race for a top four seed in the Eastern Conference, as they lost in Oakland to the top team in the NBA, Golden State, on Monday. Stephen Curry made five three point field goals and scored 24 points to lead the Warriors and Marresse Speights added 16 points off of the bench. Kevin Seraphin led the Wizards with 12 points and eight rebounds, but Washington only shot 33.3% from the field. Washington will face Indiana next, looking to thwart the Pacers’ playoff hopes, while Golden State looks to improve on their NBA-best 57 wins against Portland.