San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard led the charge on Sunday as he helped his team defeat the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors.
Leonard matched his career-high with 26 points and set a career-high with seven steals as the Spurs rolled to a win to end the Warriors’ 12-game winning streak while extending their own to seven straight.
Tim Duncan added 19 points, Danny Green had 18 as San Antonio improved to 51-26 for the season while Stephen Curry had 24 points for the visitors but was unable to put on an efficient scoring night while Klay Thompson was held to six points.
Elsewhere, James Harden and Russell Westbrook engaged in an MVP battle of their own on Sunday with the Houston Rockets star putting up 41 points in a winning effort.
Westbrook registered his 11th triple double of the season with 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, but at this stage of the season it means little if the Thunder continue to lose.
Their latest defeat ensured that the New Orleans Pelicans moved to within a half-game of them for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
LeBron James joined in on the triple-double action with his first of the season in the win over the Chicago Bulls as the Cleveland Cavaliers made 16 3-pointers including some sensational plays to beat the buzzer.
Cleveland won their 18th straight at home, but confidence was high in the Bulls camp that they will be able to cause their rivals plenty of problems in the post-season if their paths cross.
Meanwhile, Paul George returned to hand the Indiana Pacers a huge boost in the playoff race in the East as he had 13 points in his first appearance of the season.
The Pacers secured a one-sided win over the Miami Heat to move into a tie for ninth spot.
In contrast, it was a miserable night for the Los Angeles Lakers as they were comprehensively beaten by city rivals the Clippers with Blake Griffin leading the way with 18 points.
The Lakers slipped to a franchise-record 56th defeat of the season.
NBA Results
Houston Rockets 115-112 Oklahoma City Thunder
Chicago Bulls 94-99 Cleveland Cavaliers
Miami Heat 89-112 Indiana Pacers
Golden State Warriors 92-107 San Antonio Spurs
Philadelphia 76ers 91-101 New York Knicks
Utah Jazz 101-95 Sacramento Kings
Los Angeles Clippers 106-78 Los Angeles Lakers
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