Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade produced a stunning performance a day after a knee procedure to guide his team to a win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
The race for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference continues with a group of teams fighting for the final two spots, but Wade’s display came at the perfect time to inspire the Heat.
The three-time champion finished the game with 40 points, six rebounds and four assists as he rolled back the clock with 19 points in the fourth quarter, while Udonis Haslem added 18 points and 13 rebounds.
It was a strong performance overall as the Heat made it five straight wins at home and strengthened their hold on the No.7 spot in the East.
Over in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder showed that their is still life without Kevin Durant as Russell Westbrook posted up 33 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a key win over the Phoenix Suns.
OKC completed a 20-point comeback to keep the Suns at bay as they try to snatch the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and coach Jeff Hornacek will undoubtedly be disappointed with the result as it leaves his team with it all to do down the final stretch of the regular season.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans kept themselves involved in the race with a comfortable win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Unsurprisingly, Anthony Davis led the charge with 28 points and nine rebounds, as they improve to 39-34 for the season but they remain two-and-a-half games adrift of the Thunder.
Staying in the West, the San Antonio Spurs continued their recent good form with a home win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 10 rebounds as San Antonio won for the 13th time in 16 games to remain sixth in the Western Conference but two-and-a-half games above the Mavericks and just one-and-a-half games behind the Clippers.
NBA Results
Houston Rockets 99-91 Washington Wizards
Los Angeles Lakers 99-107 Brooklyn Nets
Minnesota Timberwolves 88-110 New Orleans Pelicans
Philadelphia 76ers 86-87 Cleveland Cavaliers
Los Angeles Clippers 119-106 Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons 102-109 Miami Heat
Memphis Grizzlies 89-103 San Antonio Spurs
Dallas Mavericks 99-104 Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder 109-97 Phoenix Suns
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