The Brooklyn Nets outscored the Los Angeles Clippers 129-120, despite Kawhi Leonard’s great performance in the NBA on Sunday.
Leonard posted a game-high 39 points for the Clippers, but it was not enough against the Nets in Orlando, Florida.
Caris LeVert put up 27 points and 13 assists as the Nets claimed the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
Joe Harris added 25 points of his own for the Nets at Walt Disney World Resort, where teammate Jarrett Allen (16 points, 16 rebounds) finished with a double double.
Damian Lillard, meanwhile, dropped 51 points to inspire the Portland Trail Blazers to a 124-121 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lillard made 16 of 28 shots and 15 of 16 free throws to elevate the Trail Blazers past the 76ers and within a half game of the Memphis Grizzlies for eighth place in the Western Conference.
It was Lillard’s fifth game of 50-plus points this season – band Houston Rockets star James Harden – with all those appearances coming against teams that made the playoffs last year
Per STATS, the last player to have five games of 50 points against postseason teams from the previous campaign was Michael Jordan (6) in 1986-87.
Career-high night for Rivers
Austin Rivers had a game to remember as the Rockets outscored the Sacramento Kings 129-112. The Rockets guard recorded a career-high 41 points from the bench. Rivers is the first player in NBA history to score 40-plus points, make six or more three-pointers and shoot 70.0-plus per cent from the field of the bank in a game, per STATS. Harden contributed 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets.
Gordon Hayward’s 31-point display helped the Boston Celtics beat Orlando Orlando 122-119. Jayson Tatum scored 29, including the basket basket with 4.2 seconds left in regulation.
Defending champions the Toronto Raptors secured the Eastern Conference second seed and their fifth consecutive season with at least 50 wins after the Grizzlies’ outlay. Pascal Siakam had 26 points.
The San Antonio Spurs and their hopes of becoming the first team in NBA history to reach the playoffs for 23 straight seasons remain alive after emerging 122-113 winners against the New Orleans Pelicans. San Antonio ranked 10th in the west, a half-game port of Portland for ninth place, which would secure a play-in series.
Pelicans eliminated from race to season, Wizards winless in bubble
Zion Williamson will have to wait another year for playoff basketball after the Pelicans lost to the Spurs. Despite 31 points and an eight-point eight-pointer from JJ Redick, the Pelicans – along with Portland’s win – were eliminated from controversy after the season.
The misery of the Washington Wizards continued after they fell to a 121-103 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Washington is the only non-profit team left in Orlando since going 0-6 since the restart.
Lady with the four-point game!
After wrestling against the Clippers, Lillard came big for the Trail Blazers in their encounter with the 76ers. A spectacular four-point game with less than three minutes left catapulted the Blazers into the lead.
The results of Sunday
Houston Rockets 129-112 Sacramento Kings
Portland Trail Blazers 124-121 Philadelphia 76ers
Boston Celtics 122-119 Orlando Magic (OT)
San Antonio Spurs 122-113 New Orleans Pelicans
Toronto Raptors 108-99 Memphis Grizzlies
Oklahoma City Thunder 121-103 Washington Wizards
Brooklyn Nets 129-120 Los Angeles Clippers
Raptors see Bucks
It will be an epic encounter when the two best teams from the Eastern Conference meet on Monday. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the top-ranked Milwaukee Bucks take on the informed Raptors.
