The standout NBA team of 2014-15 moved to within one win of securing home-court advantage for the entirety of the playoffs in one of 10 matches on Saturday night.
Klay Thompson led the Golden State Warriors to their 12th win in a row as they cruised past the Dallas Mavericks. By improving to 63-13, Warriors coach Steve Kerr has the all-time record for most wins as a first-year coach.
The Eastern Conference's runaway leaders, the Atlanta Hawks, improved to 57-19 by hammering the in-form Brooklyn Nets at Philips Arena.
Brooklyn had won their previous six, but were blown away as Atlanta scored a season-high 131 points and the visitors did not even get into three figures.
Two sides looking to record their third straight wins met at FedExForum and it was the visiting Washington Wizards who got the victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Memphis never recovered from a shaky first quarter as Bradley Beal (20 points) and John Wall (18 points, 14 assists) led Washington to a nine-point triumph.
The Los Angeles Clippers are just a game behind the Grizzlies in the race for a top-four playoff spot following their comfortable win over the Denver Nuggets.
Doc Rivers's side will fancy their chances of nabbing home-court advantage for the first round, especially as they host Memphis next Saturday in what could be a crucial showdown before the regular season's end.
The Phoenix Suns still have the faintest of hopes of reaching the playoffs after coming through a difficult match against the Utah Jazz for their first win in six.
Gerald Green scored 24 points in just three quarters off the bench after missing the first period as Phoenix ended Utah's three-game winning streak.
The Suns could still overtake the New Orleans Pelicans after they suffered their first defeat in five at the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers are guaranteed a top-four spot in the playoffs having sewn up the Northwest division, but they are still hopeful of securing a top-three place in the post-season, with Memphis faltering.
There was overtime at Air Canada Centre and it was the Boston Celtics who secured a vital victory thanks to some late Marcus Smart heroics against the Toronto Raptors.
It looked as though Lou Williams's off-balance three-pointer had given Toronto the win, but Smart then chucked up a push-shot with just 0.1s left on the clock after Isaiah Thomas had lost control when driving to the basket.
With Boston winning, the Miami Heat fell out of the East's playoff spots by suffering a narrow defeat at the Detroit Pistons - their third loss in a row.
Reggie Jackson scored 29 points, including the game-winning layup in the dying moments, and dished out 11 assists as Detroit ended a two-game losing streak.
The Milwaukee Bucks should still be confident of securing a spot in the post-season, but they went down at home to the Orlando Magic for their first defeat in three games.
Tobias Harris had a double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds) as the visitors made it back-to-back wins.
The Charlotte Hornets' chances of reaching the playoffs are still alive after they inflicted a fifth straight defeat on the Philadelphia 76ers.
In a scrappy affair, Gerald Henderson made a layup with six seconds on the clock to seal a one-point win for the hosts.
Results in full: Philadelphia 76ers 91-92 Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets 99-131 Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat 98-99 Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics 117-116 Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards 92-83 Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors 123-110 Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic 97-90 Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers 107-92 Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz 85-87 Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans 90-97 Portland Trail Blazers
Pascal Lemesre
