Derrick Rose's return to action with the Chicago Bulls ended in defeat as they were edged out by the Orlando Magic.
The point guard, who has been sidelined for over a month following knee surgery, added nine points in his 19-minute comeback, but Victor Oladipo found the basket inside the last two seconds to lift the Magic to victory after they had trailed by eight going into the fourth quarter.
The Cleveland Cavaliers ensured that they will head into the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference as they secured a closely fought win over the Milwaukee Bucks, handing them the Central Division title.
The visitors trailed heading into the final 12 minutes, but LeBron James added 10 of his 21 points in the final period to make sure that Cleveland took the victory.
The San Antonio Spurs made it nine wins in a row as they clinched victory over the Houston Rockets.
Tony Parker got the defending NBA champions off to a bright start, adding 13 of his 27 points in the first quarter to give them a lead that the Rockets never threatened to overturn.
The Atlanta Hawks survived a fourth-quarter comeback from the Brooklyn Nets to complete a clean sweep of the team this season.
Having already beaten the Nets three times, the Eastern Conference leaders appeared to be heading for another comfortable win as Al Horford helped the Hawks to a 12-point advantage going into the fourth quarter.
Brook Lopez got the hosts back into contention late on, but Horford made a dunk with a couple of seconds to spare to clinch the win, finishing with 26 points.
The New Orleans Pelicans' hopes of making the playoffs were dealt a blow as they were crushed by the Memphis Grizzlies.
One night after moving into eighth place in the Western Conference, the Pelicans made a solid start, but switched off in the second quarter as the Grizzlies outscored them 28-12 on their way to falling 40 points behind midway through the fourth.
The Dallas Mavericks ended the Phoenix Suns' hopes of making the playoffs with a narrow win at the American Airlines Center.
The Pelicans' defeat ensured that the Mavericks will be in the playoffs, but Dirk Nowitzki put Dallas in front in the fourth quarter to rule Phoenix out of the post-season for a fifth year in a row.
The Portland Trail Blazers continued their push for home-court advantage in the playoffs as they crushed the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The hosts were 10 points up by the end of the first quarter and never looked like getting caught as LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24.
Andrew Wiggins continued his recent strong shooting form with 29, but it was not enough to prevent the Timberwolves slipping to an eighth straight defeat.
The Washington Wizards clinched an easy win over the Philadelphia 76ers, never falling behind as they beat their opponents by 29 points.
Robert Covington led the team with a career-high 27 points, leaving the hosts, who made just over a third of their shots, on a seven-game losing streak.
The Indiana Pacers closed the gap to the playoff places with a convincing win over the New York Knicks, leaving them just one win off eighth place in the East.
The Knicks rarely threatened in the first half as Indiana cruised to a 16-point advantage before continuing to add to their lead after the break, led by George Hill and Roy Hibbert.
The Knicks reduced the gap late on, outscoring the Pacers reserves 31-19 in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough for the team with the worst record in the league to avoid a thrashing.
The Boston Celtics boosted their playoff hopes and ended the Detroit Pistons chances of making the post-season with a win at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Isaiah Thomas finished with 34 points as Boston opened up a big lead in the first quarter which Detroit never looked like overturning, leaving the Celtics tied with Brooklyn for seventh in the Eastern Conference.
The Toronto Raptors cruised to victory over the Charlotte Hornets after making a strong start to the game.
DeMar DeRozan ensured that the visitors pulled away early on, establishing a 16-point advantage by the break, which allowed Toronto to hold off a late surge by the Hornets.
A strong second-half performance from the Denver Nuggets handed the side a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
There was little between the two sides in the first half, but Kenneth Faried made all eight of his shots in the second half on his way to a season-high 29, while the Lakers struggled to find the target after the break.
The Utah Jazz picked up their fifth win in sixth outings, despite not being in playoff contention, as they beat the Sacramento Kings.
The visitors were ahead at the break, but Utah hit their stride in the second half as Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors combined for 38 to complete the turnaround.
Results in full: Toronto Raptors 92-74 Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls 103-105 Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards 119-90 Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics 113-103 Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks 114-111 Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers 102-86 New York Knicks, New Orleans Pelicans 74-110 Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers 104-99 Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets 98-110 San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers 101-119 Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings 91-103 Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns 104-107 Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves 91-116 Portland Trail Blazers
Sian Cowper
