The Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night and in the process secured their first Pacific division title since 1976.
Stephen Curry had 33 points and 10 assists on the night, but revealed that celebrations were subdued in the Warriors locker room after the game as they know their work isn’t done this season.
Andre Iguodala came off the bench to add 21 points for the Warriors as they overcame the short-handed Blazers, and that helped secure a seventh straight win to move them to 58-13 for the season.
Damian Lillard responded with 29 points for Portland, but that didn’t prevent the team from slipping to their fifth consecutive loss.
Staying in the West, the Dallas Mavericks bounced back from their recent disappointment to secure a win over rivals the San Antonio Spurs.
Monta Ellis broke out of his shooting slump to post 38 points while Kawhi Leonard led the charge for the visitors with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals.
The win pulls Dallas within percentage points of San Antonio for the sixth-seed in the Western Conference.
The Oklahoma City Thunder also won after sealing a rout of the Los Angeles Lakers behind 27 points and 11 assists from Russell Westbrook.
It was a fourth straight win for OKC which moves them to 41-30 and they appear to be on course to ensure that the playoff race isn’t as dramatic as expected down the stretch.
Meanwhile, the game or at least the ending of the night came in Milwaukee, as the Bucks saw Khris Middleton drill a buzzer-beating three to beat the Miami Heat.
Dwyane Wade had 21 points for the visitors, and while Miami thought they had done enough to claim the W, it wasn’t to be as Zaza Pachulia grabbed a vital offensive rebound before laying it off to Middleton who sent the home crowd into delirium.
NBA Results
Toronto Raptors 104-108 Detroit Pistons
Miami Heat 88-89 Milwaukee Bucks
Los Angeles Lakers 117-127 Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs 94-101 Dallas Mavericks
Philadelphia 76ers 106-107 Sacramento Kings
Golden State Warriors 122-108 Portland Trail Blazers
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