Kawhi Leonard caught fire late and the Memphis Grizzlies got burned.
Leonard poured in 25 points, including 15 straight to start the fourth quarter, carrying the San Antonio Spurs to a 103-89 home-court victory over the struggling Grizzlies on Sunday.
"I just got in a rhythm," said Leonard, the reigning NBA Finals MVP who shot 6-of-7 in the fourth-quarter.
"They called my number and I was able to carry us a little bit."
Frenchman Tony Parker scored 15 of his 17 in the second half, while Brazil's Tiago Splitter added 15 as the defending league champs (47-26) won for the 13th time in 16 games to move 2.5 games ahead of Dallas for the sixth playoff spot in the West.
"Kawhi was excellent," Splitter said. "He felt like he had to carry us on his back and with Tony he did."
San Antonio led by four entering the final frame when Leonard went on a one-man binge, scoring all his team's points capped by a three-pointer that opened up an 85-75 cushion with 7:38 left to play.
"What Kawhi did was incredible, it was fun to watch," teammate Manu Ginobili said.
"He knows we're going to look for him and the shots are going to come. We're not dumb, we need him. He gives us another weapon."
Zach Randolph had 20 points with 13 rebounds, while Spaniard Marc Gasol netted 16 for Memphis (50-24), which fell one-half game behind Houston atop the Southwest Division following a third straight blowout loss to powerhouses Cleveland, Golden State and San Antonio.
Elsewhere the Houston Rockets defeated the Washington Wizards 99-91.
James Harden scored 24 points and the visiting Rockets (50-23) denied the struggling Wizards (41-33) a chance to clinch a playoff spot in the East despite John Wall's 25-point, 12-assist, eight-rebound effort.
Miami Heat 109, Detroit Pistons 102: Dwyane Wade exploded for 19 of his 40 points in the final quarter and the Heat (34-39) beat the visiting Pistons to strengthen its hold on the seventh spot in the East playoff scramble.
Andre Drummond had 32 points with 14 rebounds while Reggie Jackson netted 31 points for Detroit (28-45), which had its four-game winning streak stopped.
Oklahoma City Thunder 109, Phoenix Suns 97: Russell Westbrook had 33 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and the visiting Thunder stormed from 20 down in the opening half to give the playoff-fading Suns (38-36) a third straight loss.
DJ Augustin netted 13 of his 19 in the final frame as Oklahoma City (42-32) remained 2.5 games ahead of New Orleans for the final playoff spot in the West.
New Orleans Pelicans 110, Minnesota Timberwolves 88: Anthony Davis had 28 points and the Pelicans (39-34)outscored the visiting T-Wolves (16-57) by 20 in the final quarter to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Brooklyn Nets 107, LA Lakers 99: Brook Lopez had 30 points with 11 rebounds, and the Nets (32-40) jumped one-half game ahead of Boston for the final playoff spot in the East after beating the visiting Lakers (19-53) paced by Jordan Hill's 22-point, 16-rebound effort.
LA Clippers 119, Boston Celtics 106: JJ Redick scored 27 points, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin added 21 apiece, as the visiting Clippers (49-25) cruised past the Celtics (32-41) for their seventh straight win.
Cleveland Cavaliers 87, Philadelphia 76ers 86: LeBron James tossed in 20 points and the Cavs (43-27) escaped the lowly Sixers (18-56) for their 16th consecutive home court win, when Nerlens Noel potential game-winning jumper bounced off the rim in the closing seconds.
Indiana Pacers 104, Dallas Mavericks 99: CJ Miles scored 28 points, including a huge three-pointer with a minute left, and the Pacers (32-41) held off the visiting Mavs to pull within one-half game of Brooklyn for the final spot in the East playoff chase.
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