There was no Josh Giddey but no worries for Oklahoma City in the NBA, the Thunder registering a comfortable 125-107 win over Milwaukee to boost their hopes of taking the No.1 seed in the Western Conference play-offs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Australian Giddey was sidelined with a hip injury as teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points against an injury-ravaged Bucks missing All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
The result has set the scene for an intriguing final round for the west, with Oklahoma, Denver and Minnesota all with 56-25 records.
Denver play Memphis while Minnesota clash with Phoenix in the final round.
If Denver, Minnesota and Oklahoma all win, the Thunder will finish as top team in the west on percentage.
The Nuggets' penultimate-round loss against lowly San Antonio could prove costly.
Little-used reserve Devonte' Graham hit the deciding jumper for the hosts with 0.9 seconds left as the Spurs stunned the Nuggets 121-120, reeling in a 23-point deficit in the process.
The Thunder will now host Dallas on Sunday, the Mavericks having their five-game winning streak ended by Detroit thanks in part to Marcus Sasser's 24 points in his hometown return.
The Mavericks - playing without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving - went down 107-89 and are fifth in the west.
Rudy Gobert's 25-point, 19-rebound and five-block performance drove his Timberwolves to a vital 109-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
In the east, runaway leaders Boston rolled to a 131-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Payton Prichard scored a career-high 31 points and added 11 assists for the Celtics (63-18).
The New York Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets 111-107, keeping themselves in the hunt for the No.2 seed in the east. Jalen Brunson had 30 points and 11 assists to drive them home after a slow start.
Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Jarrett Allen had 29 points and 13 rebounds as Cleveland clinched a play-off berth with a 129-120 victory over Indiana. The Cavaliers now sit fourth in the east.
In other early matches, Joel Embiid had 32 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists after an apparent injury scare in the first half as Philadelphia beat Orlando 125-113; rookie Adama Sanogo had 22 points and 20 rebounds to help short-handed Chicago beat Washington 129-127; and Nikola Jovic scored 22 points as Miami kept their hopes alive of escaping the play-in tournament by topping Toronto 125-103.
Also, the Lakers edged the Grizzlies 123-120.
In the late games the Suns scraped home against the Kings 108-107, the Jazz pipped the Clippers 110-109, the Pelicans rode a huge second quarter to beat the Warriors 114-109, Australian Duop Reath contributed 10 points in the Rockets' 116-107 win over the Trail Blazers.
Australian Associated Press
