Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart led his team to a win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night as the Celts continue to fight for a playoff spot.
Smart hit the buzzer-beater lay-up in overtime but Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points, Tyler Zeller had 20 and Evan Turner added 18 points and 10 assists to make the difference.
DeMar DeRozan scored 18 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, but it wasn’t enough to will the Raptors to a win as the result has implications in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto fall further behind the Chicago Bulls for the third seed, while the Celtics moved back into the top eight at the expense of the Miami Heat and they now lead them by a half-game.
The Heat were also in action on Saturday but they fell to a loss to the Detroit Pistons with Reggie Jackson scoring 29 points for the hosts.
Andre Drummond added 11 points and 17 rebounds for his 44th double-double of the season as Detroit rallied from 15 down in the fourth and closed the game out on a 21-6 run.
Dwyane Wade scored 24 points while Goran Dragic added 21 for the Heat, but it wasn’t enough as their playoff hopes took a significant blow.
The Brooklyn Nets were also on the losing side on Saturday night, as they fell to a heavy loss to the Atlanta Hawks who tied a franchise-best 57th win of the season.
However, the Eastern Conference leaders saw their night soured when Paul Millsap, their leading scorer and rebounder, left the court in the second quarter and did not return after suffering a shoulder injury.
It was business as usual for the Golden State Warriors who beat the Dallas Mavericks to seal a 12th straight win as they clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Warriors now need just one more win to secure finishing the regular season with the best record in the NBA for the first time since 1976.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder received a boost as the New Orleans Pelicans fell to defeat at the Portland Trail Blazers which snapped their four-game winning streak and ensured that they missed out on the chance to move into the top eight and remain a half-game back.
NBA Results
Philadelphia 76ers 91-92 Charlotte Hornets
Brooklyn Nets 99-131 Atlanta Hawks
Miami Heat 98-99 Detroit Pistons
Boston Celtics 117-116 Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards 92-83 Memphis Grizzlies
Golden State Warriors 123-110 Dallas Mavericks
Orlando Magic 97-90 Milwaukee Bucks
Los Angeles Clippers 107-92 Denver Nuggets
Utah Jazz 85-87 Phoenix Suns
New Orleans Pelicans 90-99 Portland Trail Blazers
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