HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NBA GAMES PLAYED ON SATURDAY (SUNDAY AEST)
NETS 107 beat BULLS 106 - Dwyane Wade returned but the Chicago Bulls sustained a potentially costly loss against the Brooklyn Nets.
Spencer Dinwiddie made four free throws in the final 13.6 seconds for the Nets in their home finale. He scored 19 points, as did rookie Caris LeVert.
Jimmy Butler scored 33 points for the Bulls, who fell into a tie with Miami for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
Wade started and played 25 minutes, scoring 14 points. He had been expected to miss the remainder of the regular season when he sprained his right elbow on March 15.
TRAIL BLAZERS 101 bt JAZZ 86 - Damian Lillard scored a franchise-record 59 points and matched his career high with nine three-pointers to help Portland beat Utah.
Lillard surpassed Damon Stoudamire's previous record of 54 points with a step-back three-pointer. The crowd on its feet, he raised his arms in celebration then pounded his chest.
The win kept the Blazers ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with just two games left.
WARRIORS 123 bt PELICANS 101 - Kevin Durant's first touch after missing 19 games with a knee injury? Just a driving baseline reverse and emphatic one-handed slam, and KD triumphantly returned to finish with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in helping Golden State rout New Orleans.
With two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry sidelined by a bruised left knee, Durant shined in 31 minutes and the balanced Warriors won their 14th successive game - the longest unbeaten run in the NBA this season. He hadn't played since getting hurt on February 28 at Washington, then resumed full practice on Friday.
CLIPPERS 98 bt SPURS 87 - Chris Paul had 19 points and Los Angeles beat San Antonio for their fifth successive victory.
DeAndre Jordan added 17 points and 17 rebounds to help Los Angeles preserve their hopes of hosting a first-round playoff series.
Doc Rivers tied Mike Dunleavy for the Clippers franchise record with his 215th regular-season victory.
CELTICS 121 bt HORNETS 114 - Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points and Boston remained in contention for the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a victory over Charlotte.
Al Horford added 16 points and Kelly Olynyk had 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season as the Celtics swept the four-game series and pulled within a half-game of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers (51-28) have road games remaining against Atlanta and Miami before closing at home against Toronto. The Celtics (51-29) have two home games left, against Brooklyn and Milwaukee.
HEAT 106 bt WIZARDS 103 - Hassan Whiteside scored 30 points and James Johnson hit a layup with 11 seconds left to give Miami a victory over Washington.
Johnson beat Markieff Morris to the hoop for the go-ahead basket, Kelly Oubre Jr. threw away the inbounds pass and Josh Richardson made two free throws to seal it as the Heat moved into a tie for eighth in the Eastern Conference. The Chicago Bulls, who lost to the Brooklyn Nets earlier, own the tiebreaker.
After missing his first four shots, Goran Dragic finished with 18 points, and Tyler Johnson scored 19 with four three-pointers.
BUCKS 90 bt 76ERS 82 - Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Milwaukee beat Philadelphia to clinch a playoff berth.
The Bucks, who snapped a three-game losing streak, began the night needing a victory and a loss by either Chicago, Indiana or Miami to secure their second post-season berth in three years. The Bulls lost 107-106 to Brooklyn.
Matthew Dellavedova contributed 14 points for the Bucks.
PACERS 127 bt MAGIC 112 - Paul George scored 37 points and Myles Turner added 23 points and 10 rebounds to help Indiana move a step closer to a playoff berth with a victory over Orlando.
The Pacers pulled a game ahead of Chicago and Miami for seventh place in the Eastern Conference and climbed back to .500 with their third straight victory.
Terrence Ross had 29 points for the Magic, while Evan Fournier had 23 and Aaron Gordon added 17. Orlando have lost six of their past seven.
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