Jeremy Lamb was the star again, and the Charlotte Hornets remained alive in the playoff race with a thrilling 113-111 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors Friday night. Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining to give the Hornets the lead, and then Charlotte held on when Kawhi Leonard's 3-point attempt wedged between the rim and the backboard with one second remaining. This was the first meeting of the teams since the Hornets stunned the Raptors 115-114 in Toronto on March 24, on Lamb's miracle bank shot from behind the half-court line at the final buzzer. The Hornets had lost three of their previous four and were in a total "must-win" mode Friday night. They still sit two games back of Detroit and Brooklyn, who are tied for the seventh spot in the East, and one game back of ninth-place Miami in the Eastern Conference. Thunder 123, Pistons 110 Paul George scored 30 points, and Russell Westbrook sealed his third consecutive season averaging a triple-double as Oklahoma City beat visiting Detroit. The game was critical to both teams' playoff positioning, and it was the Thunder who came out ahead, winning for the second consecutive game and the fourth time in seven games. The Thunder remain in seventh place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs with a game at hand. The Pistons lost for the third consecutive game and for the sixth time in their past eight to fall into a tie with idle Brooklyn just above the East playoff cutline. Celtics 117, Pacers 97 Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, and Gordon Hayward added 21 as Boston took over sole possession of fourth place in the East with a victory over Indiana in Indianapolis. The result puts the Celtics on track for home-court advantage in the upcoming NBA playoffs. A first-round postseason series between the Celtics and Pacers is likely, though Boston moved within 1 1/2 games of Philadelphia for the No. 3 seed. Kyrie Irving scored 17 points for the Celtics while Hayward was 9 of 9 from the field and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. The Pacers have lost eight of their last 11 games despite entering play Friday on a two-game win streak. Magic 149, Hawks 113 Orlando set an offensive season high in a rout of Atlanta in its final home game of the regular season, getting a key victory for playoff positioning. It was the third-highest point total in Orlando's history. The Magic's scoring record is 155, set back in 1990. The Magic set a franchise record for points scored in a first half with 81 and led by as much as 38 in the opening half. Timberwolves 111, Heat 109 Dario Saric and Gorgui Dieng scored 19 points each to lead host Minnesota over Miami. The loss was the third in a row for the Heat, who must make up a one-game deficit in the playoff race with three games remaining. Warriors 120, Cavaliers 114 Stephen Curry rebounded from his lowest-scoring game of the season with one of his best, bombing in a game-high 40 points as Golden State outlasted Cleveland at Oakland in a rematch of the past four NBA Finals. Nuggets 119, Trail Blazers 110 Nikola Jokic finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, Paul Millsap scored 25 points, and Denver outlasted visiting Portland. Jamal Murray scored 23 points to help the Nuggets clinch the Northwest Division and at least the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Rockets 120, Knicks 96 James Harden scored 26 points in 29 minutes as host Houston cruised to a wire-to-wire victory over league-worst New York. The Rockets earned their fifth straight win and 19th in 22 games by seizing control early. Jazz 119, Kings 98 Grayson Allen scored a career-best 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting as Utah won its season-best seventh straight game, an easy triumph over Sacramento in Salt Lake City. Lakers 122, Clippers 117 Alex Caruso scored 32 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 25 as the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers beat the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers. Spurs 129, Wizards 112 LaMarcus Aldridge led eight San Antonio players in double figures with 24 points, and the visiting Spurs routed Washington. Rudy Gay had 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills scored 17 points each for the Spurs. Suns 133, Pelicans 126 (OT) Josh Jackson scored 35 points, including eight in overtime, as host Phoenix held off New Orleans. Jamal Crawford added 28 points and Ray Spalding had a career-high 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns. Grizzlies 122, Mavericks 112 Delon Wright recorded a triple-double as Memphis won at Dallas, which was without rookie Luka Doncic. Wright, who came into the game averaging 8.2 points per game, connected on 10 of 19 shots from the field and finished with 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 14 assists. — Reuters
