The Charlotte Hornets condemned the Detroit Pistons to their fourth straight loss and boosted their own play-off hopes with a 104-91 victory.
Kemba Walker hit 31 points and had eight rebounds as Charlotte recorded a third straight win and moved one game behind the Pistons in the battle to claim the final play-off spot in the Eastern Conference.
Walker scored 20 in the first half, while Frank Kaminsky scored 24 and Jeremy Lamb added 17 in the victory.
WHAT A WIN! Check out the @budweiserusa Legendary Moments from our 104-91 victory over the Pistons! #budlegendarymoments #thisbudsforyou pic.twitter.com/O3hNQUyzgw — Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) April 7, 2019
Three teams are in contention for the NBA's final play-off spot, with the Miami Heat also a game behind the Pistons.
Like the Pistons, the Heat are going through a rough patch and lost their fourth straight game.
Dwyane Wade hit 21 points for the Heat but they lost 117-109 in overtime to the Toronto Raptors, who have clinched the Atlantic Division.
32-9 at home. We heard you all season long. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/3cDPHYjrtO — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 7, 2019
The Orlando Magic booked their play-off spot with a 116-108 win over the Boston Celtics, while the Brooklyn Nets will also play in the post-season after a 108-96 win over the Indiana Pacers.
The Milwaukee Bucks secured their 60th win of the season, with Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 30 points and Khris Middleton adding 21 in a 115-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Dallas Mavericks' Salah Mejri hit a game-tying basket late in the fourth quarter and added seven points in overtime in a 129-127 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
SALAH WITH THE STEP-BACK! pic.twitter.com/nK2Mqyw2UP — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 8, 2019
James Harden hit 30 points in a 149-113 win for the Houston Rockets over the Phoenix Suns and Steph Curry had 27 as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 131-104.
The #Rockets just tied their own #NBA Record of TWENTY-SIX 3-Pointers made in a game! #RunAsOne 🚀 pic.twitter.com/VdvRyvM4Yc — Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 8, 2019
Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 132-126, the San Antonio Spurs won 112-90 as they condemned the Cleveland Cavaliers to their ninth successive loss and the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 113-110.
The Portland Trail Blazers were 115-108 winners over the Denver Nuggets, the New Orleans Pelican beat the Sacramento Kings 133-129 and the Los Angeles Lakers saw off the Utah Jazz 113-109.
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