The Golden State Warriors' title defense is on rocky ground after Monday's 114-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings left them 2-0 down in their playoffs first round series.

To make matters worse for the reigning champions, Draymond Green faces a ban for Game 3 back at Chase Center after being ejected for stomping on Domantas Sabonis with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Kings led 91-87 at the time with the contest wide open until Sacramento pulled away with 12 of the final 17 points. The Warriors were left to rue 20 turnovers, along with making 13-of-40 three-point attempts.

De'Aaron Fox, who finished with 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting with nine assists, made a three-point shot with 2:17 remaining before Sabonis assisted Davion Mitchell's triple for 112-103 with 1:17 left. Sabonis scored 24 points on eight-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds and four assists.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry shot three-of-13 from three-point range, finishing with 28 points and six assists, while Klay Thompson made five-of-10 from beyond the arc in his 21-point haul.

Andrew Wiggins contributed strongly again with 22 points and five rebounds, while Green had four rebounds, five assists and eight points before his ejection.

The Green incident came when Sabonis fell to the ground amid a scrum of players attempting to rebound Malik Monk's failed two-point attempt.

The Kings center appeared to grab Green's leg as the Warriors tried to launch a break, prompting the reaction. Green's right foot landed heavily on Sabonis' chest, with the Lithuanian remaining on the floor in pain as the officials reviewed the play.

The officials called Sabonis for a technical foul for grabbing Green's leg, with the Warriors center given a flagrant-2 foul, prompting his automatic ejection and potential suspension.

The Kings fans at Golden 1 Center yelled at Green during the review, with the four-time All-Star egging them on, waving them on and holding a hand to his ear calling for more.

Maxey stars as 76ers open up 2-0 lead

Tyrese Maxey drained six three-pointers as the Philadelphia 76ers claimed a 2-0 lead in their playoffs first round series with a 96-84 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Maxey scored a game-high 33 points for the 76ers, including a triple from Joel Embiid's pass with 1:54 remaining to open up a 12-point lead. Maxey's total was a playoff career-high.

Embiid pulled down 19 rebounds, with 20 points on six-of-11 shooting and seven assists, while Tobias Harris added 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Philadelphia showcased their depth, with James Harden only having eight points on three-of-13 shooting and seven assists.

The Nets had started strongly, leading by 10 points in the second quarter with Cam Johnson having 22 first-half points but he finished with only 28. Brooklyn only used eight players.

The 76ers turned the game in their favour with a 24-14 third quarter, condemning the Nets to their seventh straight postseason loss, having been swept by the Boston Celtics at this stage last year.

Steve Kerr feels the Golden State Warriors are "whole" again with the return of Andrew Wiggins, despite defeat in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series to the Sacramento Kings.

Wiggins featured for the first time since February 13, having missed two months because of a family matter, and impressed in his 28-minute display – finishing with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting and four blocked shots as the Warriors went down 126-123 at Golden 1 Center.

His performance impressed Kerr, particularly his first half display, and the signs look promising for the rest of the series.

"So awesome to have him back. You know, we're whole with him out there. Our team makes sense with Wiggs back. I thought he looked really good," Kerr said.

"The first half was amazing, second half he maybe wore down a little bit, which is to be expected, given he hasn't played in a game in over two months. He was fantastic."

Stephen Curry had a similar assessment of Wiggins' return, saying: "When you go through all the decisions to put a roster together, all of the pieces have to be fit.

"He's a big part of everything we do. When you go into a season, you want to be as fully healthy as possible because that's the way all the pieces are meant to fit.

"We haven't had it for a very long time, and we tried to hold down the fort. Now we have that look back."

The Warriors meet the Kings in Game 2 on Monday, then finishing the series with back-to-back home games on Thursday and Sunday.

Stephen Curry missed a clean three-point attempt on the buzzer as the Sacramento Kings claimed their first playoff win in almost 17 years with a 126-123 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

De'Aaron Fox came alight with 15 final-quarter points for the Kings in a back-and-forth encounter, finishing with 38 on 13-of-27 shooting from the field with four three-pointers.

Curry almost sent Game 1 of their first round playoffs to overtime when he received Draymond Green's inbound pass with 2.9 seconds left, only for his shot to rim out.

Andrew Wiggins had missed a wide-open three-point attempt for the lead with 10.1 seconds left, before Malik Monk made two free-throws to open up the decisive three-point lead.

Curry finished with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting with six three-pointers made, along with six rebounds and two assists.

Klay Thompson made five-of-14 from beyond the arc, managing 21 points, while Draymond Green had nine rebounds and 11 assists.

Kings center Domantas Sabonis had a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds, while Monk finished with an outstanding 32 points in 29 minutes off the bench, making a perfect 14-of-14 from the line.

Brunson repels Cavs and Mitchell rally

Jalen Brunson helped the New York Knicks steady after a late Cleveland Cavaliers rally to grab a 101-97 road win in Game 1 despite Donovan Mitchell's best efforts.

The Cavs claimed the lead with 2:12 remaining in the final period from Jarrett Allen tip-in capping a stunning 9-0 run, before a clutch Josh Hart triple followed by Brunson step-back jump shot.

Brunson finished with a team-high 27 points, while Julius Randle returned from injury with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Mitchell threw everything at the Knicks, scoring 38 points on 14-of-30 shooting with five rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

The Cavs guard scored 10 points in a row for the Knicks during their fourth-quarter charge, where Quentin Grimes' free-throws with 4.1 seconds left sealed the deal.

Celtics first-half flurry sets up win

The Boston Celtics blew away the Atlanta Hawks with 74 first-half points before easing to a 112-99 victory led by Jaylen Brown with 29 points despite a sore hand.

Jayson Tatum scored 21 of his 25 points in the first half where the Celtics led by as much as 32 points, while Derrick White contributed 25 points and 11 rebounds.

The Hawks' shooting letting them down, finishing with five-of-29 from three-point range with Trae Young managing only 16 points on five-of-18 shooting. Dejounte Murray top scored for Atlanta with 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

James Harden scored 23 points including seven triples with 13 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers scored a playoffs franchise-record 21 three-pointers in their 121-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

The 2023 NBA playoffs are here and promise to be as thrilling as ever.

There are narratives all over the place ready to be written, with the Golden State Warriors trying to retain their championship, the Los Angeles Lakers coming from 2-10 to potentially win it all, and the Boston Celtics looking to make up for last season's Finals heartbreak.

Between now and the start of the Finals in June, who knows how many shock results, big performances and memorable moments basketball fans will be treated to.

The final two places will be decided on Friday with the last two play-in games determining who will face top seeds the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets, while the first round gets underway straight away on Saturday.

Stats Perform takes a look at the six confirmed series so far, starting with arguably the most intriguing of them all.

Western Conference:

Phoenix Suns (4) v Los Angeles Clippers (5)

After an outstanding 2021-22 campaign in which they finished as the top seed in the West with a record of 64-18, the Suns began this season with a 6-1 run.

However, by the end of their first game of 2023, Phoenix had already lost as many as they did in the entirety of the previous regular season and only managed a record of 45-37 in the end to finish as a fourth seed.

Adding Kevin Durant in February gave them a much-needed boost, though, and his link-up with Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul feels like it could lead to something special in the postseason. Durant is 8-0 as a Net.

They will be up against a Clippers team who have had stumbles during the season but went 11-5 heading into the playoffs.

Kawhi Leonard's return from injury in November was huge for Ty Lue's team, with he and Paul George both averaging 23.8 points per game for the season.

The teams split their four meetings during the regular season, albeit including a Clippers victory in their final game when the Suns rested their starters.

Sacramento Kings (3) v Golden State Warriors (6)

It feels like the Kings quietly went about their business this season, amassing 48 wins, more than half of which (25) came on the road.

That could not really be further removed from the Warriors' experience, which saw only 11 of their 44 victories come as the away team.

However, after starting 7-29 on the road this season, Golden State won four of their final five. That included a 56-point victory at the Portland Trail Blazers on April 9, tied for the second-largest road win by any team in NBA history (Pacers at Thunder in May 2021 – 57).

De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will lead the way for Sacramento, but a certain Stephen Curry will be expected to shine again in the postseason as he has done so often in the past.

Since 2013-14, Curry has gone 27-2 against the Kings, the second-best record by any player against a single opponent (min. 20 games) during that span (Norman Powell, 19-1 vs Nets). Curry has averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds over those games.

Golden State were 3-1 against the Kings this season, with Curry (25 points) and Klay Thompson (29) doing much of the damage in their victory in the penultimate game of the campaign against shorthanded opponents.

Memphis Grizzlies (2) v Los Angeles Lakers (7)

As LeBron James recently said, the Lakers were given just a 0.3 per cent chance of making the playoffs by analysts when they started the year 2-10.

As it turned out, they nearly reached the postseason without even needing the play-in tournament, but a fairly routine win against the Minnesota Timberwolves got them to the dance.

James has been outstanding again this season, averaging 28.9 points, and will be eager to produce fireworks now that he and the Lakers are back in the postseason.

On the other side, Ja Morant seems to have put recent problems behind him and looks ready to lead the Grizzlies.

His 26.2 points have been ably supported by Desmond Bane (21.5) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (18.6), though they will miss the presence of the injured Steven Adams, who averaged 11.5 rebounds this season.

The Lakers went 2-1 against the Grizzlies this season, although the home team won on each occasion.

Eastern Conference:

Cleveland Cavaliers (4) v New York Knicks (5)

It was a strong year for Cleveland, winning 51 games in the regular season, although they had a losing record on the road (20-21).

Donovan Mitchell (28.3 points) has been sensational for the Cavaliers, who could hold a significant advantage throughout the playoffs as they boasted a perfect 7-0 record for games that went into overtime during the season.

The Knicks are looking for their first playoff series win in 10 years in what is only their second postseason appearance in that time.

Coach Tom Thibodeau has Julius Randle (25.1) and Jalen Brunson (24.0) to thank for guiding his team to a comfortable playoff place, with Randle also averaging 10.0 rebounds.

New York's starters are averaging 86.5 points this season, the most by any starting unit (Cleveland rank fifth at 83.5). That accounts for 74.6 per cent of the team's scoring, which is the highest rate by a Knicks squad since 2010-11 (74.7).

The Knicks were 3-1 against the Cavs this season, including their last one at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse just two weeks ago.

Philadelphia 76ers (3) v Brooklyn Nets (6)

Ever since he went to Philadelphia, it has felt like James Harden has been the story heading into any clashes between these two.

It feels like there is so much more to it now, though, especially since the Nets also lost Durant and Kyrie Irving.

No longer a team of stars, the Nets are reinventing themselves as just a team, and it will be interesting to see how they manage the postseason. The Nets finished the season 10-4 in games decided by three or fewer points, tied with the Knicks for the best record in the league (min. 10 one-possession games).

Harden and Tyrese Maxey have provided capable support to Joel Embiid, who has been his usual impressive self, with an average of 33.1 points, the most in the entire league.

The Sixers certainly have the momentum going into this series, winning all four of their meetings this season, including in the final game. It was the first time one of the teams swept the season series since Philadelphia won all four matchups against the New Jersey Nets in 2010-11.

Boston Celtics (2) v Atlanta Hawks (7)

Few expected the Celtics to make the Finals last year, and even fewer thought they would take a 2-1 lead against the Warriors.

It all went south from there, though, ultimately losing 4-2, but their response this season has been impressive again.

Boston started 21-5, and although that levelled out towards the middle of the regular season, they put together some more impressive runs to finish 57-25.

Jayson Tatum's average of 30.1 made him briefly a contender for MVP, while Jaylen Brown (26.6) and Marcus Smart are expected to be fit again during the first round.

Trae Young led the Hawks through their play-in clash with the Miami Heat, and he and they will now need to step up again.

Young has scored 30 or more points in four straight road games against the Celtics. Since the NBA-ABA merger, just four players have scored 30-plus points in five straight games in Boston (including playoffs): Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Curry and James.

The Celtics won all three regular season meetings, including in their final games before the postseason, although both fielded weakened teams.

The Golden State Warriors have cleared forward Andrew Wiggins to play in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

"Andrew looks great, feeling good and is ready to go," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after practice Thursday.

Wiggins last played on February 13 and spent several weeks away from his team while attending to a family matter. He returned to practice last week to re-acclimate himself and work on conditioning, but the Warriors remain unclear on how much to expect from Wiggins right away after two months off.

Donte DiVincenzo started in all but one of Golden State’s final 25 regular-season games while Wiggins was away, and the team could opt for the status quo until their All-Star forward is back in top form.

"I think it sort of depends on how he feels [Friday] and going into Saturday,” Kerr said. "On the one hand, 'Wiggs' is one of those guys who just doesn't seem to fall out of shape or get tired. He's just a naturally gifted athlete.

"On the other hand, he hasn't played in 10 weeks. So maybe the game will dictate it. We'll just have to play it by ear."

A 2021-22 All-Star, Wiggins played a critical part in the Warriors winning the NBA title last summer, their fourth in an eight-season span.

Wiggins was especially valuable in the NBA Finals, averaging 18.3 points and 8.8 rebounds while spending heavy minutes defending Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

"Defense, rebounding," center Kevon Looney said Wednesday when asked how Wiggins helps the Warriors. "He's a guy that guards the other team's best players.

"And he's a guy that when the shot clock is getting low, you can just throw him the ball and he's going to get a bucket. That's something we've been missing all year.

"To have him back for the playoffs is going to be important for our team. The playoffs, teams start taking some things away. Sometimes you got to go get a bucket, and he's one of the best at that."

A nine-year NBA veteran, Wiggins averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 37 games this season.

In three games against the Kings this season, Wiggins scored 24, 25 and 26 points while shooting over 50 percent from the floor in each contest.

The Los Angeles Clippers secured the five seed in the Western Conference after rallying from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 119-114 on Sunday.

Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook scored 29, 25 and 25 points respectively for the Clippers, who held off the Golden State Warriors for the five seed, meaning LA will take on the Suns again in the playoffs first round.

Leonard scored the Clippers' final eight points of the game among 12 in the fourth quarter, shooting 11-of-21 from the field, with 15 rebounds and six assists.

Powell continued his fine form off the bench, shooting 12-of-22 for his 29 points with five rebounds, while Westbrook made two three-pointers in his 25 points with seven rebounds and nine assists.

Phoenix sat starters Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton for the game.

Despite that, the Suns put up a good fight, with guard Saben Lee having 25 points with 10 assists, shooting three-of-eight from beyond the arc.

Warriors hit NBA record, LeBron lifts Lakers

Stephen Curry made five three-pointers and shot nine-of-15 for 26 points as the Golden State Warriors routed the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 157-101.

The Warriors could have jumped the Clippers into the five seed if LA lost, but the reigning champions will settle for the six seed, meaning they will take on the Sacramento Kings in the first round.

Curry only played 22 minutes along with Klay Thompson, who scored 20 points, with Golden State piling on an NBA record 55 first-quarter points. Jordan Poole added 21 points including four-of-five triples in 17 minutes and Moses Moody contributed 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting in 29 minutes.

That meant the Los Angeles Lakers finished seventh in the West despite LeBron James scoring eight three-pointers among 36 points in a 128-117 win over the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in tournament, with the winner to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs first round.

Wolves win amid Gobert and McDaniels drama

The Timberwolves jumped the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in seeding for eighth with a 113-108 victory, but it was a game full of drama with Rudy Gobert throwing a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout.

Gobert was dismissed for the rest of the game after the second-quarter incident, while top perimeter defender Jaden McDaniels broke his right hand after hitting a wall in frustration.

Despite all that, Anthony Edwards led the Wolves to victory with 26 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and four blocks, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points with eight rebounds.

Brandon Ingram scored 42 points for the Pelicans, who could have finished as high as fifth, but will instead face the Oklahoma City Thunder in a play-in tournament elimination game.

If the Golden State Warriors stay healthy, Klay Thompson sees a clear path to another title this year.

With a single game of the regular season remaining, the defending champion Warriors have not yet booked their playoff spot – in large part due to the key absences they have had this year.

Stephen Curry has been restricted to 55 games so far, while Andrew Wiggins will not add to his 37 games before the postseason, although he is then expected back.

Still, the Warriors have their destiny in their hands: they will avoid the play-in tournament by winning at the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

That is due to an impressive 119-97 victory at the Sacramento Kings on Friday, only their 10th road win of the year.

It is not a record that suggests the Warriors will be among the leading contenders in the playoffs, but Thompson is expecting improvement in the coming weeks.

"It always feels great to win," he said after making five threes and scoring 29 points. "I think it'll click even more when Andrew's in the lineup, because he's such an important player to what we do.

"We still have another level to reach, so I think we should just keep staying humble and working hard, and we'll get there. I know we will."

Health is a key factor, but it is not the only one; the Warriors rank third in scoring (118.5 points per game) but 22nd in defense (117.3 points).

"I always say we have to value the ball more, take great shots and communicate on defense," added Thompson.

"Do those three things, and I don't see a team who can beat us in a seven-game series when we're healthy. If we do those three things going forward, I think we'll be in a great position to repeat."

Thompson's fitness at least has not been a concern this year.

He missed two and a half years through injury before returning for last season's title run, and he is back to somewhere near his best in 2022-23, scoring 21.9 points per game and leading the NBA in made threes (295).

"I've played a full season. I've missed like 13 games or whatever, but to play in almost 70 games is a huge milestone for me," Thompson said.

"To shake off the early season rust and have the shooting year I did is even more impressive.

"I give myself a pat on the back for those years of so much hard work when nobody was watching. Those were really tough times for me, and I persevered and still am hungry to be even greater than I was."

Next, though, focus turns to a must-win game in Portland, where the Warriors are 2-7 since 2017-18 – their fourth-worst road record against any opponent in that span.

Thompson added: "Anything can happen in this league, but we've got to go up there and just take care of business and play with that Warriors brand of basketball that's made us the dynasty we are."

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson produced a vintage performance to carry the Golden State Warriors to a 119-97 road victory against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

One of the few teams still with plenty to play for in the final games, the Warriors needed a win to avoid falling into the play-in tournament placings, as they would get leapfrogged by the 42-39 New Orleans Pelicans if they finish with an equal record.

But with Kings stars Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox both out resting – with Sacramento (48-33) locked into the Western Conference's third seed – the Warriors took full advantage.

In a terrific defensive outing, Golden State did not allow a single Sacramento starter to score more than Harrison Barnes' 13 points, while Curry and Thompson combined for 54 points and shot eight-of-15 from three-point range.

Thompson top-scored with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting (five-of-eight from deep), while Curry chipped in 25 (eight-of-14 shooting, three-of-seven from deep), seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.

Donte DiVincenzo continued to excel when given an opportunity, with the 26-year-old backup guard putting together 18 points (seven-of-10 shooting), nine assists and six rebounds. 

He vastly outplayed fellow rotation guard and sixth man Jordan Poole, who shot a poor zero-of-10 from the floor, and the two will likely be competing for minutes in the playoffs.

The victory means the Warriors can secure their spot in the playoffs by finishing the season with a win against the tanking Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, avoiding the play-in tournament in the process.

Reaves, Beasley lead important Lakers win

The Los Angeles Lakers (42-39) are only a half-game behind local rivals the Los Angeles Clippers (42-38) after a crucial 121-107 triumph at home against the undermanned Phoenix Suns.

With Phoenix resting Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, the full-strength Lakers made sure to capitalise, although it was neck-and-neck until the fourth quarter.

Both LeBron James (six-of-19 from the field) and Anthony Davis (four-of-12) had poor shooting nights, combining for just 30 points, but role players Austin Reaves and Malik Beasley came to the rescue.

Reaves was arguably the Lakers' best player, scoring 22 points on nine-of-13 shooting with five assists, while Beasley came off the bench to hit seven-of-14 shots, including four-of-10 from long range for 21 important points.

The Lakers will finish their regular season at home against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, and they can steal the sixth seed if the Clippers lose their final two games against Portland and Phoenix.

76ers ruin Trae's big night

Trae Young put up a ridiculous stat line of 27 points and 20 assists, but it was not enough as his Atlanta Hawks went down 136-131 to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime.

Young's 20 assists broke his previous career-high by two, and he shot an efficient seven-of-14 from the field, but his nine turnovers were costly. It is the eighth time in Young's career he has committed at least nine turnovers in a game.

While the Hawks were at full strength, the 76ers rode a career-high 16 assists from bench guard Shake Milton in a rare start, with stars Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey out of action.

Jalen McDaniels enjoyed his best game in a Philly jersey with 24 points (eight-of-17 shooting), 11 rebounds and three steals, and Georges Niang also added 24 points (nine-of-13) in a starting role.

The NBA announced Thursday it has denied a protest issued by the Dallas Mavericks over a disputed basket that occurred during the team's two-point loss to the Golden State Warriors on March 22.

The league said in a statement that game officials incorrectly handled a confusing sequence that led to a Warriors' basket late in the third quarter of Golden State’s eventual 127-125 victory, but determined the Mavericks were not denied a fair chance to win the game.

The incident in question occurred following a timeout called by the Mavericks in which they believed they had possession when play was to resume. Official Andy Nagy at first pointed in the Warriors' direction to indicate Golden State would have possession, then pointed to the Mavericks' bench to award the timeout.

Dallas lined up on its offensive end following the timeout, which led to the Warriors’ inbounding the ball to Kevon Looney for an uncontested dunk that gave Golden State a 90-87 lead.

The game's public address announcer also erroneously stated that the Mavericks would have possession after the timeout.

Dallas did regain the lead twice in the fourth quarter and held a 119-118 advantage with under 3 1/2 minutes left in the game, which factored into the NBA's decision to deny the protest.

"The incident occurred with nearly 14 minutes remaining in the game, and Dallas thereafter took the lead twice in the final four minutes," the league said. "Under these circumstances, Dallas was not able to show – as required under the standard for NBA game protests – that it was deprived of a fair opportunity to win the game, and the protest failed on that basis alone.

"Although the game officials could have taken steps to better manage this particular situation, that did not provide a basis for the extraordinary remedy of upholding a game protest."

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced shortly after the game he planned to issue a protest while also heavily criticising the officials in a social media post.

"Worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA," Cuban tweeted. "All they had to do was tell us (it was the Warriors' ball) and they didn’t."

The NBA said Dallas acknowledged that the officials signalled Golden State possession in its formal filing of the protest.

The decision to uphold the final result could have a major impact on the Western Conference playoff race. The Warriors currently are one game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 6 seed, which would allow Golden State to avoid the play-in tournament.

Dallas is presently tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 10th and final spot for the play-in tournament with two games remaining in the regular season.

Andrew Wiggins believes his court comeback is just a matter of time after he returned to the Golden State Warriors following a personal absence.

The small forward has missed 22 games for the Warriors since taking a temporary leave from the team in order to deal with a family illness.

Wiggins has declined to elaborate on the specifics, but was back with Steve Kerr's side for Tuesday's 136-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Now, with his return to the fold, the 28-year-old has set his sights on playing once again, having last featured against the Washington Wizards in February.

"I don't think it will be too long before I am out there," he said. "I felt really good right before I left. I felt like I was in a rhythm, was making shots, moving well.

"Hopefully, I'll be right back where I left off. [But] when you're in a certain situation and your family needs you and requires your attention and love, that's my first priority.

"My career, everything, family is always first for me. When I felt like I was in a safe space to come back, we got everything settled in a safe place."

Coach Steve Kerr effectively ruled out a role for Wiggins in Friday's trip to the Sacramento Kings, noting they would assess him over the coming week.

"We'll have a better idea in the next couple of days," he added. "There's no way he's playing in the next few days, I can tell you that.

"But I think once we have an assessment over the next couple of days, we'll have a better idea of when he might be able to play."

The Warriors follow their trip to Sacramento with their last regular season fixture, against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

The Golden State Warriors might not like being where they are, but Steve Kerr is nevertheless enjoying the thrill of the chase.

Reigning NBA champions Golden State have endured a disappointing campaign, yet find themselves in the playoff places heading into their final two regular-season games.

The Warriors are fifth in the Western Conference after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125 at home on Tuesday, although they will drop down to sixth after the Los Angeles Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Golden State trailed by four heading into the final quarter against the Thunder, but Jordan Poole turned on the style to lead them to victory, while Stephen Curry top scored with 34 points and Draymond Green chipped in with 17.

It got the Warriors, who were without Klay Thompson, back to winning ways following a loss to the Denver Nuggets. They have now won six of their last eight games, and head coach Kerr is revelling in the excitement.

He told reporters: "It's fun, this is all what it's about.

"We love the competition and even though we'd prefer to be home free in the playoffs right now, this is where we are.

"I'm really proud of the guys what they've done here in recent weeks to put ourselves in this position but now we've got to go finish the deal and get into the top six."

Poole starred down the stretch, with 13 of his 30 points coming in the final quarter.

"They all matter. You try to lock in as much as possible and put us in a really good position to be successful," Poole said.

"He's obviously extremely talented," Curry said of Poole. "He can create off the dribble. He's fast in transition.

"We kind of read the gameplan from them, so we just gave JP space, let him go to work. Our biggest thing is just being decisive on offense. Any time we fall late is because we haven't been decisive in our intention or play calls.

"JP played amazing down the stretch, then our defense allowed us to connect the game."

Moses Moody added: "It definitely had that playoff feel to it being out here in these games, how much each game matters, how much each possession matters."

Philadelphia 76ers center and MVP hopeful Joel Embiid put together arguably his best game of the season on Tuesday to deliver a 103-101 home win against the Boston Celtics.

Embiid put up 52 points – over half of his team's total and the third-most in his career – while shooting a remarkable 20-of-25 from the field. He also grabbed 13 rebounds, dished six assists and blocked two shots in his 39 minutes.

The 29-year-old, who has finished as the runner-up in the past two MVP votes, had never scored more than 50 points in a game prior to this season, but he has done so three times this campaign, highlighted by a 59-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist, seven-block showing against the Utah Jazz in November.

Against the Celtics, Embiid was supported in style by James Harden as the 76ers' second star chipped in 20 points (seven-of-17 shooting) and 10 assists with no turnovers. It was only his second game this season without a turnover.

Meanwhile, the Celtics were left short-handed as All-Star Jaylen Brown was ruled out in the hours leading up to tip-off, and Jayson Tatum was disappointing in his highly anticipated showdown against Embiid, delivering just 19 points on seven-of-20 shooting with six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Tatum had a plus/minus of minus 13 in his 38 minutes, meaning Boston were plus 11 in the 10 minutes he was on the bench.

LeBron lifts the Lakers in overtime

The Los Angeles Lakers have now won seven of their past eight fixtures after a 135-133 overtime victory on the road against the Utah Jazz.

It was a mediocre offensive showing from the red-hot Anthony Davis as he shot just seven-of-16 from the field and seven-of-12 from the free throw line for his 21 points, but he added 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.

Instead it was LeBron James coming through for the Lakers, producing his best game since the All-Star break with 37 points (14-of-27 shooting), six assists and five rebounds. Austin Reaves stepped up in D'Angelo Russell's absence, contributing 28 points (eight-of-13) and six assists in an equal team-high 42 minutes.

The win improved the Lakers' record to 41-38, leaving them tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the sixth-best record in the West – with the Lakers and Clippers to face off on Wednesday.

Warriors stay out of the play-in

The Golden State Warriors were at risk of being leapfrogged by the Lakers and falling into the play-in tournament placings, before coming from behind to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125.

It was the Thunder leading 106-102 heading into the fourth quarter, but with Klay Thompson missing through injury, Jordan Poole stepped up as the Warriors' hero.

Poole scored 18 points in the fourth quarter while the Thunder scored 19 as a team, with the fourth-year guard finishing with 30 points (eight-of-19 shooting). 

Stephen Curry was just as good, dropping a game-high 34 points (11-of-25), while Most Improved Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points (11-of-17) and seven assists for the Thunder.

The win means the Warriors have jumped the Clippers into the fifth seed with just two games remaining, while the Thunder's loss keeps the Dallas Mavericks alive, with just a half-game separating the 10th and 11th seeds.

The Golden State Warriors "didn't deserve to win" against the Denver Nuggets, with coach Steve Kerr lamenting a loss of focus from his team.

Golden State lost 112-110 to Denver on Sunday, with Klay Thompson squandering two game-winning three-point opportunities in the final five seconds.

The Nuggets, who were without Nikola Jokic, had led by nine points heading into the final two minutes and ultimately held on.

Golden State led 36-26 at the end of the first quarter, but their lead had been cut to three points at half-time.

Kerr pointed to the second quarter as where it started to go wrong.

"Up until the middle of the second quarter, we had total control of the game," he said. "Then we stopped playing. We lost our focus on both ends.

"We had control of the game and just handed that back to them. We gave them life and they took advantage.

"We were mindless out there and weren't tough enough, disciplined enough and ultimately didn't deserve to win."

The Warriors sit sixth in the Western Conference with just games remaining in the regular season.

Two of those are on the road, with Golden State 9-30 outside of San Francisco this season. That is the worst record by a defending champion in the history of the NBA.

"Most of the questions when we lose are about what went wrong, and you try to point the finger, but if we obviously knew what to do about it, we would do it," said Stephen Curry, who finished with 21 points in Denver.

"There's a sense of urgency on these last three games, and not only just the wins but the vibe that you create going into a playoff series.

"That does matter. We've got to come to a realisation that if we're going to win or do anything in the playoffs, this kind of game can't happen."

The NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks produced a statement win ahead of the playoffs led by Giannis Antetokounmpo as they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 117-104 on Sunday.

Antetokounmpo scored 33 points with 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, bringing up his 31st 30-point double-double this season, as they improved to 56-22 at Fiserv Forum.

The win moves Milwaukee closer to clinching the Eastern Conference, with the Boston Celtics (54-24) in the second spot ahead of the 76ers (51-27) in third with four games to play.

Boston, who routed the Bucks 140-99 three nights ago, have the head-to-head tiebreaker on Milwaukee.

The Bucks shot at 57.5 per cent from the field, led by Antetokounmpo's 13-of-17 shooting, while Khris Middleton started strong for 19 points. Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis contributed 21, 18 and 18 points respectively.

Middleton's hot start fuelled the Bucks' 41-26 first-quarter lead and they never looked back, with the 76ers closing to within four points in the third period, before the Bucks pulled away again as Antetokounmpo scored the final seven points of that quarter.

MVP candidate Joel Embiid scored 28 points on 11-of-25 shooting from the field with nine rebounds and five assists.

Tyrese Maxey added a team-high 29 points with six-of-seven from beyond the arc. James Harden was contained to 11 points with six assists.

Thompson spurns game-winning attempt

Klay Thompson missed two game-winning three-point attempts in the final five seconds as the fast-finishing Golden State Warriors lost 112-110 to the Denver Nuggets without Nikola Jokic.

The Warriors had rallied from nine points down in the final two minutes to earn Thompson a three-point shot for victory from Stephen Curry's pass, but his initial attempt rimmed out, before a follow-up was blocked by Aaron Gordon.

Michael Porter Jr (29 points and 11 rebounds) and Jamal Murray (26 points and eight assists) impressed in Jokic's absence.

Thompson and Curry finished with 25 and 21 points each, with the former making five-of-16 from three-point range as Golden State shot nine-of-42 from beyond the arc as a team. Golden State fall to sixth with a 41-38 record with the Los Angeles Lakers right behind them.

LeBron matches Kidd for triple-doubles

Anthony Davis scored 40 points and LeBron James recorded a triple-double as the Lakers claimed their third straight win to boost their playoff hopes, downing the Houston Rockets 134-109.

James finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to draw level wit Jason Kidd in fourth overall (107) for most triple-doubles in NBA history. Russell Westbrook (198) has the most, ahead of Oscar Robertson (181) and Magic Johnson (138).

Davis scored 27 of his 40 points in the first half, with the Lakers improving their record to 40-38 to sit seventh in the West with four games to go. The fifth-placed Los Angeles Clippers (41-38) lost to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, with the two LA sides to meet on Wednesday.

Steve Kerr credited Draymond Green with "willing" the Golden State Warriors to victory in their comeback win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Green scored eight points and provided 13 assists, four turnovers and two steals to help complete a 120-109 turnaround triumph for the reigning NBA champions at Chase Center.

Golden State were trailing by 17 points after a lacklustre first half, but Green sparked the team into life, earning the credit from his coach.

"Draymond willed us to victory tonight," said Kerr. "Just the intensity, the frustration early with the way we were playing.

"Mad at the world, yelling at everybody – their bench, our bench – and frankly, we deserved it."

Green's first spark came late in the second quarter when he picked up his 17th technical foul for a shove on Brandon Ingram.

The pair exchanged words, amongst some shoving, and were issued Ts.

He will be fined $5,000 if the technical foul does not get rescinded over the next 24 hours - which Green thinks it will be - but if it does not, the Warriors forward believes it was worth it.

"It was perfect," said Green. "Perfectly executed. We looked dead those first 18 minutes. We had to find some energy somewhere.

"It wasn't just going to come, especially after losing the game like we did last game [99-96 to Minnesota Timberwolves].

"That can carry over. I felt like it did. I knew we had to do something and do it fast before the game got out of hand."

Green almost picked up another technical foul 20 seconds later after colliding with Herbert Jones but following more shoving and a video review, no Ts were assessed.

"I've got to play with the same intensity I try to play with each and every time I step on the court," added Green.

"I can't worry about that. For me, if I'm going to change my intensity level, then why be out there?"

Following Green's clash with Jones, Stephen Curry got involved in the scrum yelling at Pelicans players and giving some shoves.

"He knows that guys are backing him up," said Curry. "I'm sure [Green] wouldn't go out on an island like that if he didn't have that confidence.

"There are times when I've got to keep him in check and bring him back in when it's turning in the wrong direction in the sense of staying focused on just winning."

The Warriors outscored the Pelicans 74-46 in the second half, shooting 70 per cent to help complete their second-biggest comeback of the season.

Curry scored or assisted half of the points Golden State won after half-time.

Green said: "When I turned it up a notch, [Curry] turned it up another two notches.

"We all hopped in line and followed him, and he was locked in. No one was stopping him."

The Warriors are now sixth in the Western Conference, holding just a half-game advantage over the Timberwolves in seventh with five rounds left of the regular season.

"It feels like we've been in a playoff vibe for a couple of weeks now," said Curry.

"The only difference is you're playing a different team every night. But it's the same kind of adrenaline rush that we're getting. Every game does matter.

"We have a competitive spirit that's unmatched. And it's been that way for a decade."