Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade helped his team stun LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night with a closely fought win at the AA Arena.
Wade scored a game-high 32 points to steal the spotlight from James on his return to his former team, and it was a stellar performance from the Heat star which led to a vital win.
Goran Dragic added 20 points and nine assists as Miami move back up to the No.8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 11 rebounds while Mario Chalmers added 16 points off the bench for the hosts as the Cavs were denied an important win to put some daylight between themselves and the chasing pack for the No.2 spot.
Cleveland had their four-game winning streak snapped with James ending the game with 26 points.
Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors secured their playoff berth with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers coupled with the Oklahoma City Thunder losing.
Stephen Curry put up 19 points, four rebounds and nine assists while Klay Thompson added 26 points to lift them to a win over a surprisingly competitive Lakers team.
Golden State (52-13) have made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1975-77 and will now go in search of the NBA’s best record this year as fans celebrated the news when “CLINCHED” appeared on the videoboards mid-way through the second quarter.
It has certainly been an impressive year for coach Steve Kerr, but he will know the work is only just starting.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Sacramento Kings behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Paul Millsap, while the Dallas Mavericks inflicted a big blow on the Thunder (37-30) with Chandler Parsons scoring 31 points in their win.
In other notable games, both the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards won, beating the Indiana Pacers and Portland Trail Blazers respectively, while the Boston Celtics continue their rise up the standings with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers with 20 points and 10 rebounds from Avery Bradley.
NBA Results
Toronto Raptors 117-98 Indiana Pacers
Portland Trail Blazers 97-105 Washington Wizards
Philadelphia 76ers 89-108 Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets 81-92 Memphis Grizzlies
Brooklyn Nets 122-106 Minnesota Timberwolves
Cleveland Cavaliers 92-106 Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder 115-119 Dallas Mavericks
Charlotte Hornets 66-94 Utah Jazz
Atlanta Hawks 110-103 Sacramento Kings
Los Angeles Lakers 105-108 Golden State Warriors
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