A number of pivotal games were played Friday, but playoff positions changed very little as the regular season nears its end.
The most significant outcomes were that the Charlotte Hornets were eliminated from playoff contention in the Eastern Conference by losing to the Atlanta Hawks, while the Houston Rockets dropped from a tie for second in the Western Conference all the way to tie for fifth as a result of their one-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Spurs forward Tim Duncan blocked a shot by Rockets guard James Harden in the closing moments to preserve the Spurs’ 104-103 victory over Houston.
The Rockets began the day tied with Memphis for the No. 2 spot in the West. The Grizzlies beat Utah to take over sole possession of the No. 2 spot, but they are just a half-game ahead of San Antonio, which jumped from a tie for fifth to the No. 3 slot.
The Rockets are now tied for fifth with the Los Angeles Clippers, who split their season series two games apiece.
While those teams jockey for position, the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans are battling just to get into the postseason.
They both won to remain tied for eighth in the West, although the Pelicans hold the tiebreaker between those two teams.
The Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns 90-75 even though forward Anthony Davis missed about half the game after taking an elbow to the throat.
“I was having trouble swallowing,” said Davis, who returned in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans finishes the season against Houston, Minnesota and San Antonio, while the Thunder, which beat a Sacramento team playing without forwards DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay 116-103, has Indiana, Portland and Minnesota left.
The Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers all won to continue the tight race for the final two playoff spots in the East, with the Nets and Celtics tied for seventh, a game ahead of Indiana.
The Pacers beat Detroit 107-103 for their fourth straight win, but did not make up any ground.
“We know those teams are playing really well,” said Indiana coach Frank Vogel. “We’re going to need some help along the way but we just control what we can to stay in the fight. That’s what we did in the game tonight.”
All three teams have three regular-season games left. The Celtics play Cleveland again on Sunday in Boston, then finish with a home game against Toronto and road game against Milwaukee. Brooklyn has games against Milwaukee, Orlando and Chicago left, while the Pacers finish up against Oklahoma City, Washington and Memphis.
The Celtics benefited from the decisions by the Cavaliers to rest key players. In addition, LeBron James played only 26 minutes in the Celtics’ 99-90 victory, and may not play Sunday at all.
NBA PLAYOFF PICTURE THROUGH GAMES OF APRIL 10
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. *Atlanta Hawks (60-19), Southeast Division champions
2. *Cleveland Cavaliers (51-28), Central Division champions
3. *Toronto Raptors (47-32), Atlantic Division champions
4. *Chicago Bulls (47-32)
5. *Washington Wizards (45-34)
6. Milwaukee Bucks (39-40)
T7. Boston Celtics (37-42)
T7. Brooklyn Nets (37-42)
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9. Indiana Pacers (36-43)
10. Miami Heat (35-44)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. *Golden State Warriors (64-15), Pacific Division champions
2. *Memphis Grizzlies (54-25), Southwest Division leaders
3. *San Antonio Spurs (54-26)
4. *Portland Trail Blazers (51-28), Northwest Division champions
T5. *Los Angeles Clippers (53-26)
T5. *Houston Rockets (53-26)
7. *Dallas Mavericks (47-31)
T8. New Orleans Pelicans (43-36)
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T8. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-36)
* — clinched playoff berth