The Los Angeles Clippers matched a franchise record with their 56th win of the season on Saturday night, as they overcame the Sacramento Kings 117-101 at the Staples Center.
Blake Griffin led the way with 27 points for the Clippers, while Chris Paul also stood out with 6-for-14 from the field as well as notching 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
At the Verizon Center, the Washington Wizards were able to retain sixth place in the Eastern Conference, thanks to a 104-91 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Wizards were pushed home by a standout performance from Bradley Beal, who scored 26 points, while five other players made it into the double-figure region.
The Atlanta Hawks snatched the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as they beat the Miami Heat with a 98-85 victory at the Philips Arena, as Jeff Teague shone with 25 points for the hosts.
Over in Texas, the Dallas Mavericks won out over the Phoenix Suns with a 101-98 victory at the American Airlines Center, with Monta Ellis (27 points) and Dirk Nowitzki (23 points) teaming up to help overturn a double-digit deficit to win the game.
Al Jefferson scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a 111-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Time Warner Cable Arena.
In Ohio, the Boston Celtics recorded a 111-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game which saw Boston snap their franchise record-tying 13-game road losing streak thanks to strong showings from Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley.
The Houston Rockets overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 111-104 at the Toyota Center, with Patrick Beverley notching a career-best 20 points on his return from injury.
Finally, in Denver, Randy Foye completed a career-high 186 3-pointers for the season as the Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 101-94 at the Pepsi Center, with Kenneth Faried also impressing with 24 points and 21 rebounds to produce his first career 20-20 game in the NBA.
Results in full: Los Angeles Clippers 117-101 Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Bobcats 111-105 Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards 104-91 Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics 111-99 Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks 98-85 Miami Heat, Houston Rockets 111-104 New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks 101-98 Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets 101-94 Utah Jazz
Christopher Dodd
