Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed deep emotions regarding Klay Thompson's return to the Bay Area, this time as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

Thompson finished with 22 points in an emotional return to Chase Center for the first time since he departed, though former team-mate Steph Curry stole the show. 

Curry scored 37 points, including Golden State's final 12, to rally the Warriors past the Mavericks 120-117 in the NBA Cup on Tuesday.

Thompson spent 13 successful years with Kerr in San Francisco, winning four NBA Championships. 

After the game, Kerr revealed the surreal moment between himself and Curry before he went out to meet with his former “Splash Brother” Thompson. 

"We went over our pre-game scout and the matchups,” Kerr said. “It was almost surreal saying, ‘Steph, you got Klay.’ Steph smiled.”

In Thompson’s time in California, he was part of the core alongside Curry and Draymond Green, who also helped to bring so much success to the team.

However, Thompson missed more than two years after suffering back-to-back injuries.

First, an ACL tear and then a torn right Achilles tendon – before making a return in January 2022, with Kerr lauding his resilience to come back to the sport. 

“I think what he overcame is almost unprecedented,” Kerr told reporters.

“The last couple of years after he came back, he struggled reconciling all of that, losing those prime seasons. We all saw that, saw him struggle with it emotionally.

"We saw him fight to get his game back. He helped us win a championship, led the league in threes two years ago, he did a lot of amazing things.

“We wished that this had gone forever, that Klay would have finished his career with us, but circumstances always dictate these things.

"In the end, I think he made the right choice. He was not happy and that was hard to see, because he deserves to be happy. At his core, he’s a very happy person.”

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed deep emotions regarding Klay Thompson's return to the Bay Area, this time as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

Thompson finished with 22 points in an emotional return to Chase Center for the first time since he departed, though former team-mate Steph Curry stole the show. 

Curry scored 37 points, including Golden State's final 12, to rally the Warriors past the Mavericks 120-117 in the NBA Cup on Tuesday.

Thompson spent 13 successful years with Kerr in San Francisco, winning four NBA Championships. 

After the game, Kerr revealed the surreal moment between himself and Curry before he went out to meet with his former “Splash Brother” Thompson. 

"We went over our pre-game scout and the matchups,” Kerr said. “It was almost surreal saying, ‘Steph, you got Klay.’ Steph smiled.”

In Thompson’s time in California, he was part of the core alongside Curry and Draymond Green, who also helped to bring so much success to the team.

However, Thompson missed more than two years after suffering back-to-back injuries.

First, an ACL tear and then a torn right Achilles tendon – before making a return in January 2022, with Kerr lauding his resilience to come back to the sport. 

“I think what he overcame is almost unprecedented,” Kerr told reporters.

“The last couple of years after he came back, he struggled reconciling all of that, losing those prime seasons. We all saw that, saw him struggle with it emotionally.

"We saw him fight to get his game back. He helped us win a championship, led the league in threes two years ago, he did a lot of amazing things.

“We wished that this had gone forever, that Klay would have finished his career with us, but circumstances always dictate these things.

"In the end, I think he made the right choice. He was not happy and that was hard to see, because he deserves to be happy. At his core, he’s a very happy person.”

Klay Thompson was delighted with his "great" debut, after setting a new franchise record in the Dallas Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs.

He got 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes, with eighteen of those points coming from 3-pointers, a record for a Mavericks player.

Thompson, who left the Golden State Warriors after 13 years in the close season, helped push the Mavericks to a 120-109 victory on Thursday.

"Great debut," Thompson said.

"It's only one game in October, but it feels good just to get that first one out of the way.

"I had a ton of excitement, really just an awesome feeling. And you only get the first time of something so often."

Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, finished with 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting with nine rebounds, one assist and a game-high-tying four turnovers to open his second season with the Spurs.

Due to his involvement in the Paris Olympics, Wembanyama was limited to fewer than 40 minutes in preseason, and he admitted he felt that in their season opener.

"Some moments felt great," Wembanyama said. "A little hard conditioning-wise at first, of course [as] I expected.

"But I think we had some good basketball moments and some really bad ones.

"None of us really have played four games since [the] middle of the summer for me. It's a struggle.

"Every player in the NBA goes through it. Conditioning is not an excuse [for missed shots]. I'll have different weapons we need to know when to use.

"So, for the missed shots, it's more getting used to taking shots, getting used to again taking shots in a game."

Klay Thompson admitted to getting butterflies ahead of making his Dallas Mavericks debut on Thursday, before predicting his stint with the team will be "special".

Thompson was at the centre of the Golden State Warriors' dynasty before leaving the franchise in July, winning four NBA championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. 

Having been drafted 11th overall in 2011, Thompson left the Warriors as the player with the fourth-most games played in team history (793) and the sixth-most points (15,531).

He penned a three-year, $50million deal with the Mavs ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, and his first preseason appearance for the team came in a 107-102 loss to the Utah Jazz.

Thompson scored 10 points in 18 first-half minutes at American Airlines Center, before revealing his pre-game nerves were the worst he had experienced since his first trip to the NBA Finals.

"I haven't been that nervous, I don't think, since the 2015 Finals Game 1," Thompson said after the game.

"It felt so good just to go out there and play and work those jitters out. 

"It was a new experience, and it's a natural feeling when you've been somewhere so long and to be somewhere new in a new environment. 

"To finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing. I'm just excited to experience a new chapter. It's going to be special. I just know it."

Dallas' next preseason game sees them face the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, before they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in their final run-out before the new campaign.

Stephen Curry believes the dynasty built by the Golden State Warriors throughout his career will be the last of its kind in the NBA.

Curry has won four NBA championships with the Warriors since being drafted seventh overall in 2009, leading them to glory in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. 

Golden State missed the playoffs for just the third time in the last 12 seasons in 2023-24, finishing 46-36 then losing a Play-In tie against the Sacramento Kings.

Between 2014 and 2022, the Warriors made the NBA Finals on six occasions, having failed to do so in 39 years after winning the 1974-75 championship.

Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have, alongside Curry, formed the spine of the Warriors' lineup throughout that period, but the former left for the Dallas Mavericks last week after 13 years in San Francisco.

Speaking to ESPN's Malika Andrews, Curry said: "Obviously defining a dynasty can take a lot of different looks.

"People thought this was over in 2019, but 2022 was an amazing championship because we defied the odds. That's 11 years, almost 12 years, of championship relevancy built around a certain core."

Asked whether the Warriors' achievements during that period will be replicated, Curry said: "I don't think it will, just because it's very hard to keep things together in this league. There's a lot more player movement. 

"Me, Klay and Draymond, we complemented each other so well for so long. We all brought something different to the table, so we'll see. 

"Records are meant to be broken. Dynasties come in all different shapes and sizes, so we'll see."

While Thompson has made the decision to leave the Bay Area, Curry – who has two years remaining on his own contract – wants to stick around for the rest of his career, as long as the team can be competitive.

"Being in one place for my whole career, I know it's really hard to do that," he said. "I want to be greedy and say we can be relevant and be in the mix and give ourselves a realistic chance to win while I'm still growing these grey hairs and doing high school visits in the Bay for my daughter. 

"It's crazy. It's just the nature of where I'm at. But yes, all that is to say I love the Bay and the Bay is home and I never want that to change."

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes there is a "lot of value" in the team keeping their core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson together, as the latter of the trio prepares to hit free agency.

The Warriors' season came to an abrupt end on Tuesday as they were dumped out of the Play-In Tournament by the Sacramento Kings, falling to a 118-94 defeat to their upstate rivals. 

It is the third time in the last five seasons that Golden State – who have won four NBA championships under Kerr – have missed out on a playoff berth. 

That has led to questions being asked about the team's future, and they have a decision to make over Thompson as the 34-year-old prepares to become an unrestricted free agent.

While the Warriors have outlined their desire to keep Thompson, he has been linked with the Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks and says his priority is playing for a championship contender. 

Speaking at his exit interview on Thursday, Kerr spoke of the difficulties of breaking up great teams and said he was keen to continue working with the Warriors' 'big three'. 

"It's rarely a storybook," Kerr said. "Even the '96 or '98 Bulls, the team was broken up and we won the championship in our last year but there was a documentary about what a disaster the whole thing was. It's impossible for this stuff to end perfectly.

"I do think there is a lot of value to having our three guys being Warriors for life. I think there's a lot of value in ending with dignity.

"For those three, I really want to see all of them finish their careers here, but also finish out their careers with a sense of pride and dignity in what they're doing."

Much of the Warriors' season was overshadowed by discussions regarding Green's ill-discipline, with the forward being ejected four times in 2023-24.

Green also missed 16 games after receiving an indefinite suspension for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face in December, an incident that Kerr described as "unforgivable".

However, Kerr still believes Green is worth the trouble, saying: "Yet I forgave him. He's one of the most competitive, one of the smartest players I've ever been around. 

"Yet he makes these decisions that hurt the team, that aren't smart. So how do you reconcile all that? It's really difficult. 

"The number one thing I would say is, if we decided he wasn't worth it then we would have moved off of him years ago. 

"But he's worth it and he's worth it not only because of the banners that are hanging out there but because he really is a wonderful human being."

Klay Thompson says winning remains his priority as he prepares to enter free agency and is grateful to hear the Golden State Warriors are keen on keeping him in San Francisco.

Thompson's five-year contract with the Warriors – who selected him 11th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft – is due to expire following an abrupt ending to their 2023-24 campaign.

The Warriors were eliminated from the Play-In Tournament by the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, with Thompson shooting 0-for-10 from the field in a 118-94 defeat at Golden 1 Center.

The four-time NBA champion is yet to agree fresh terms and has already been linked with the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks. 

Asked what the future holds in his exit interview on Wednesday, the 34-year-old said the ability to compete for a fifth championship would play a huge role in determining where he will play next year.

"Considering it's April 17, I don't think I have to pivot that quickly," Thompson said. "When is free agency? July 1? Yeah, I've got some time.

"I want to keep winning. When you've been a part of winning seasons, you don't really want to go away from that. So I would like to win again. One for the thumb would be nice. 

"I still think it's within reach. Other than that, you've just got to think about what will really make you happy in the last few years of your career.

"Every year I give my best effort, and the ownership group has been great. I have nothing but positive things to say about them.

"It's up to them, but at the end of the day, whatever happens, it's all gravy. It's been such a special run."

Several key figures around Golden State have outlined the importance of keeping Thompson. After Tuesday's Play-In elimination, Stephen Curry said he couldn't imagine playing without him, while Draymond Green insisted "there isn't any scenario" where he moves on.

Head coach Steve Kerr also said the Warriors need Thompson to return, and those comments have gone down well with the soon-to-be free agent. 

"It means a lot," Thompson said when those quotes were put to him. "I mean, we've been through the highest of highs and lows. 

"Whether it's losing a championship, winning a championship, missing the playoffs, we've been through everything together, so that does mean a lot. 

"It makes me grateful to have the times I've had with them. Like, that was pretty historic stuff."

Jalen Brunson needed only three quarters to score 39 points and the New York Knicks continued their push for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 118-109 win over the league-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday.

Brunson was 15 of 23 from the field and 6 for 11 from long range, while Donte DiVincenzo added 17 points and Josh Hart had 16 points and 16 rebounds.

New York won its third straight and pulled within a game of Milwaukee for second in the East, with each team having two games left. The Knicks would need to win both and have the Bucks lose their games at Oklahoma City and Orlando, because Milwaukee has the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Knicks dominated on the glass, 52-36, and had 22 second-chance points compared to 12 for the Celtics.

Boston got 18 points from Jayson Tatum and lost its second in a row.

Surging Warriors handle Trail Blazers

Stephen Curry scored 22 points and Jonathan Kuminga added 22 to propel the Golden State Warriors to their ninth win in 10 games, 100-92 over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Golden State, which played without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, has already clinched a play-in spot but can potentially improve its playoff seeding in the final two games.

With their 45th victory, the Warriors surpassed their win total from last season, when they advanced to the conference semifinals.

Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Scoot Henderson tallied 18 and 12 assists for the Trail Blazers, who have won just two of their past 15 games.

Pelicans complete season sweep of Kings

CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson scored 31 points apiece and the New Orleans Pelicans completed a five-game season sweep of the Sacramento Kings with a 135-123 win.

McCollum matched a season high with nine 3-pointers in 12 tries and added seven assists for the Pelicans, who improved to 27-14 on the road, a franchise record for wins and tied with Boston for the best mark in the NBA.

New Orleans is sixth in the Western Conference, one game ahead of Phoenix with two games remaining.

De’Aaron Fox scored 33 points as the Kings lost for the fourth time in five games and failed in a bid to avoid the play-in tournament.

Gary Trent Jr.'s 31 points and Immanuel Quickley's near triple-double sparked Toronto to a 117-111 win over Milwaukee on Friday, which ended the Raptors' 15-game losing streak and extended the Bucks' late-season slump.

Quickley compiled 25 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Trent went 7 of 15 from 3-point range to help the Raptors hand Milwaukee a fifth loss in six games. RJ Barrett contributed 26 points to Toronto's first win since March 3.

The Bucks' woes continued despite Damian Lillard returning from a three-game absence to record 36 points. Milwaukee was without its other superstar, however, as Giannis Antetokounmpo was held out with a sore hamstring.

Toronto seemed on the way towards another defeat after trailing 40-30 five minutes into the second quarter, but Trent led a 16-3 run later in the period that gave the Raptors a 56-51 advantage with a minute to go before half-time.

The Raptors eventually pushed the margin to 14 points when a Trent 3-pointer created a 77-63 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Bucks closed the gap later in the period. Lillard capped a 10-2 spurt with a 3-pointer that cut Milwaukee's deficit to 87-84 in the final minute of the third.

Milwaukee had a chance to pull ahead in the late stages, but Khris Middleton missed a potential go-ahead 3-point attempt with the Raptors up 113-111 with 20.4 seconds left. Quickley then made a pair of free throws and the Bucks were held scoreless the rest of the way.

Middleton finished with 21 points and Bobby Portis tallied 19 points with 10 rebounds off the bench for the Bucks.

Washington stars as Mavericks end Warriors' winning streak

P.J. Washington capped a 32-point night with a tie-breaking layup with 4.5 seconds left that lifted the Dallas Mavericks to a 108-106 victory over Golden State which halted the Warriors' season-high six-game winning streak.

After Golden State erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit on Stephen Curry's jumper with 13 seconds remaining that tied the game at 106-106, Dallas' Tim Hardaway Jr. found a cutting Washington for an inside basket that put the Mavericks back in front.

Klay Thompson then missed a 3-point shot just before the final buzzer as Dallas held on for its 13th win in its last 15 games.

Washington finished 12 of 18 from the field while stepping up with the Mavericks holding out star guard Luka Dončić in the second of a back-to-back, and Dallas also received a 26-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist effort out of Kyrie Irving.

Curry ended with 28 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter as the Warriors battled back from being down 98-88 with under six minutes left.

Golden State also rallied from a slow start, as Dallas built a 29–13 lead less than eight minutes into the game. The Warriors closed out the first quarter on a 19-2 run, however, to take a 32-31 edge into the second.

The game remained tight until the Mavericks scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to open up an 84-76 lead with under 11 minutes left to play.

Fast start propels Suns past Timberwolves

The Phoenix Suns used a quick start and a strong game from Grayson Allen to continue their late-season surge with a 97-87 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Allen gave Phoenix a lift on a night in which All-Star Devin Booker was held to 13 points on 3-of-12 shooting, as the former Duke star recorded 23 points along with eight rebounds.

Kevin Durant added 22 points in the Suns' third consecutive win, while Jusuf Nurkic compiled 11 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.

Booker did have 13 assists and scored the first five points of a 15-0 Phoenix run to open the game. The Suns never trailed at any point, as they shot 55 per cent in the first quarter to build a 32-20 lead and carried a 57-41 advantage into half-time.

Minnesota, on the other hand, struggled to score throughout the evening and fell behind by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter.

The Timberwolves shot just 38.8 per cent for the game while being dealt just their second defeat in their past eight outings. All-Star Anthony Edwards was 6 of 19 while being limited to 17 points, while starting forward Naz Reid managed just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting.

Monday's loss dropped Minnesota into a tie with the Denver Nuggets for first place in the Western Conference.

Klay Thompson hit out at Tari Eason's "lame" pre-game taunts after helping the Golden State Warriors to a huge win over the Houston Rockets, all but confirming their Play-In spot.

Ahead of Thursday's game at Toyota Center, second-year forward Eason – who is out for the season after undergoing surgery on a benign growth on his lower leg bone – was seen wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan: 'Warriors, come out and play'.

Golden State did just that as Thompson joined Stephen Curry in scoring 29 points in a 133-110 win, their sixth in a row and one which has huge implications for both teams' playoff hopes.

The Warriors occupy the Western Conference's final Play-In spot and are now four games ahead of the Rockets with six regular-season games remaining, also holding the season tiebreaker. 

Thompson was delighted to get the last laugh over Eason, warning against players trash-talking when they are unable to contribute on the court.

"That's pretty lame, especially if you're not even playing," Thompson said of Eason's T-shirt, which he removed after the game.  

"It's one thing if you are out there playing, out there competing and you can back it up. 

"But if you're just going to be trolling from the sideline… what are you doing? The times we talk smack, we're out there competing. That's all I have to say about that."

Warriors team-mate Draymond Green echoed those sentiments, saying: "I love it but if you're going to say that, you've got to play. You can't come out and say that and not play. 

"I know what type of player he is. He welcomes all of that. He welcomes the challenge and welcomes the fight.

"Hopefully next year he'll say the same thing and we won't both be fighting for the Play-In, we'll be fighting for the seeding."

For the Rockets to pip the Warriors to the final Play-In spot, they will likely need to win all six of their remaining games and see in-form Golden State drop five.

But with the Warriors pulling to within 1.5 games of the ninth-placed Los Angeles Lakers, Green is looking up, rather than down.

"It allows you to now focus on what you can do to move up," Green said. "When you're just trying to solidify, you take everything step by step. 

"The first step is to solidify ourselves a chance, to give ourselves a chance. Once you get yourself a chance, it's like; 'What's next? What's the best chance we can give ourselves?'"

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each scored 29 points and the Golden State Warriors won their season-high sixth straight game, 133-110 over the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis had a career-high 20 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Warriors, who made it 13 straight wins against the Rockets since a loss on Feb. 20, 2020, and tightened its grip on 10th place in the Western Conference.

Thompson scored 21 points in the first half with five 3-pointers to help Golden State take a 65-50 lead into the break.

The Warriors held a 16-point lead after three quarters and were up 20 with just under four minutes left when coach Steve Kerr cleared his bench.

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 24 points for the Rockets, who dropped their third straight following an 11-game winning streak.

Knicks rally past Kings to end skid

D had 35 points and 11 assists and Josh Hart added a season-high 31 points as the New York Knicks overcame a 21-point deficit in a 120-109 win over the Sacramento Kings.

Hart shot 14 of 19 from the field, had nine rebounds and eight assists and Donte DiVincenzo scored 21 points to help New York snap a three-game skid and tie Orlando for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.

De’Aaron Fox had 29 points, seven boards and seven assists for the Kings, who failed in a bid to tie New Orleans and Phoenix for sixth in the West.

Sacramento raced to a 46-25 lead while making 19 of its first 28 shots, but the Knicks responded with a 16-2 to get back in it.

Clippers hold off Nuggets

Paul George had 28 points and Ivica Zubac scored the final six points for the Los Angeles Clippers in a 102-100 win over the Denver Nuggets.

James Harden tallied 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds and Zubac finished with 14 points and 15 boards as the Clippers snapped a five-game home skid despite the absence of Kawhi Leonard, who sat out his second straight game with a sore right knee.  

Nikola Jokić notched his 24th triple-double of the season with 36 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, but the Nuggets couldn’t come all the way back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and dropped one-half game behind Minnesota for the Western Conference lead.

Joel Embiid made his presence felt in his first game in nine weeks following knee surgery, sinking four free throws in the final 40 seconds and finishing with 24 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Embiid – the reigning MVP - added seven assists and six rebounds in nearly 30 minutes in his first game since Jan. 30.

Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 25 points and Tobias Harris added 18 for the 76ers, who have won two straight following a 1-5 slide.

They are eighth in the Eastern Conference, 1 ½ games behind Miami.

Chet Holmgren scored 22 points and Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins added 15 apiece as the Thunder failed to win a third straight and dropped one-half game behind Denver for the Western Conference lead.

Oklahoma City squandered an 11-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and was without All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the third time in four games with a quad injury.

Jokic’s big night powers Nuggets

Nikola Jokić had 42 points and 16 rebounds and Michael Porter Jr. hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 28 seconds left to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 110-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Jokic’s hook shot snapped a 103-all tie but Victor Wembanyma’s layup at the other end tied it again with 62 seconds left.

Porter, who had 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, then drilled a 3 to put Denver ahead to stay.

Wembanyama had 23 points, 15 boards, eight assists and nine blocks to nearly complete the NBA’s first quadruple-double since David Robinson in 1994.

Denver moved atop the Western Conference – a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City and Minnesota.

Warriors stay hot, cool Mavericks

Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points and the Golden State Warriors survived Luka Dončić’s 20th triple-double of the season in a 104-100 victory to end the Dallas Mavericks’ seven-game winning streak.

Doncic had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and trails only Domantas Sabonis (23) and Nikola Jokić (23) in triple-doubles. The Dallas superstar also notched his 48th 30-point game of the season, trailing only Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (50).

Klay Thompson and Chris Paul each scored 14 points and Stephen Curry had 13 on 5-of-18 shooting as the Warriors tied a season high with their fifth straight win.

Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, Miles McBride added a career-high 29, and the New York Knicks ran their winning streak to four games with Monday's 119-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

McBride, who entered the contest averaging just 6.5 points per game, buried 6 of 9 attempts from 3-point range and totalled 11 first-quarter points in a game the Knicks never trailed. New York also received a 10-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double from Josh Hart to extend their lead on fifth-place Orlando in the Eastern Conference to one game.

The Knicks opened the game on an 18-4 run and led by as many as 15 points in the first half, though Golden State closed out the second quarter on a 12-3 spurt to cut its deficit to 62-56 at the break.

Despite 15 second-half points from Klay Thompson, the Warriors never got closer than four points behind over the final two quarters as the Knicks continued to keep them at arm's length mainly due to the shot-making of Brunson, who recorded 20 points in the second half.

Golden State lost for the fourth time in six games despite 27 points from Stephen Curry and 18 from Thompson, who added a team-high eight assists. Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis finished 9 of 9 from the field while compiling 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Warriors. 

76ers fend off Heat to gain ground in standings

Tyrese Maxey tallied 30 points and 10 assists to lead the way as the Philadelphia 76ers earned an important win by holding off the Miami Heat for a 98-91 victory.

The 76ers' second straight win, coupled with Indiana's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, moved Philadelphia a half game ahead of the Pacers for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The top six teams in both conferences are guaranteed to avoid the play-in round and are assured of a quarterfinals series.

Kelly Oubre Jr. also posted a double-double for Philadelphia with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Kyle Lowry chipped in 16 points in his first meeting with the Heat since being traded by his former team in January.

The Heat took the court again without injured stars Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro but kept the game close until the Sixers began to pull away over the final seven minutes.

Buddy Hield's 3-pointer with 6:34 left snapped an 85-85 tie and ignited an 8-2 Philadelphia run that Oubre finished with a layup to give his team a 93-87 edge with 2:28 remaining.

The Heat missed nine of their final 10 field goal attempts and had their two-game winning streak snapped when the 76ers made three free throws in the final 18.3 seconds.

Philadelphia was clinging to a 53-51 lead early in the second half before ripping off 15 consecutive points - seven of which came courtesy of Maxey - to go up by double digits. 

Miami responded in the fourth, however, by outscoring the Sixers by a 17-4 margin over a 3 1/2-minute stretch. Terry Rozier had eight points during the run along with a steal that led to Caleb Martin's dunk that tied the game at 85-85 with 6:54 left.

Rozier and Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 20 points each, with Adebayo adding 13 rebounds and six assists and Rozier recording eight rebounds.

Resilient Cavaliers pin key loss on Pacers

The Indiana Pacers were leap-frogged by the 76ers in the standings after being dealt a 108-103 loss by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who received big performances from Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen to overcome the absence of several missing pivotal players.

LeVert compiled 23 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds and Allen also had 23 points along with nine rebounds as Cleveland prevailed despite again playing without All-Star Donovan Mitchell and fellow starters Evan Mobley and Max Strus.

Indiana received 19 points and 12 rebounds from Pascal Siakam but had an off-shooting night as a team, as it connected on just 9 of 38 tries (23.7 per cent) from 3-point range.

Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers' top scorer this season, was held to 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting but did hand out 12 assists.

Indiana did shoot nearly 61 per cent from the field while building a 34-25 lead after one quarter, and was up by 15 points nearing the midway stage of the second before the Cavaliers roared back. 

Cleveland outscored the Pacers by a 22-7 count over the remainder of the first half to tie the game at 54-54 at intermission, and later took a 72-62 advantage in the third quarter behind an 18-6 run.

Indiana rallied in the fourth quarter to knot the score at 103-103 on Haliburton's floater with 2:05 left, but LeVert put the Cavs back ahead with a basket on the ensuing possession. 

The Pacers failed to score the rest of the way, and Isaac Okoro put Cleveland up by two possessions with a layup off a feed from Allen with 26.1 seconds remaining.

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama shrugged off Trayce Jackson-Davis' dunk after the Golden State Warriors ran out winners on Monday.

Jackson-Davis got the better of Wembanyama with just over a minute left of the fourth quarter, spinning the NBA draft's number one overall pick before finishing in style.

Wembanyama was left tumbling to the deck, and the Warriors went on to win 112-102.

But Wembanyama, who missed the Spurs' win over the Warriors at the weekend due to an ankle problem, is not overly concerned.

"Getting dunked on is nothing. It's part of the game," said the French youngster, fresh from finishing with 27 points and 14 rebounds.

"I dunk on a lot of people and a lot of people dunk on me too. But I think I block more often than I get dunked on, so that's positive."

Reflecting on the Spurs' performance, Wembanyama added: "Consistency is always [important], but today I think it's also responding to the physicality that they put [out]. We didn’t have a strong enough response."

Explaining his thought process behind the dunk, Warriors rookie Jackson-Davis said: "I saw that he overplayed it, and he overplayed it to my right.

"I'm left-handed. So, I think I spun or got to my left hand and then I had to step on him. I just tried him.

"I told Kevon [Looney] before the game that if I got the chance to try him, I would. At the end of the day, sometimes you dunk on people, sometimes you get dunked on. It's just a basketball play."

Monday's win saw the Warriors, who were without Stephen Curry, bounce back from back-to-back losses, with Golden State limiting the Spurs to just one point in the final stages of the fourth quarter.

"We weren't doing anything differently, just the effort and the connection," said coach Steve Kerr.

"If one guy is out of place and everybody's giving great effort, it still results in two points. I just felt we were better connected in the second half and as that went, we picked up some momentum."

Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors with 22 points, with Klay Thompson adding 21, to go with a contribution of 19 from Chris Paul.

The Golden State Warriors appear to have avoided a major injury to Stephen Curry, as ESPN reported Friday that an MRI on the two-time NBA MVP's right ankle showed no structural damage.

Curry, who was injured in the fourth quarter of Golden State's 125-122 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, is still likely to miss a few games but is not expected to be facing an overly lengthy absence. According to ESPN, the Warriors will have a better idea on the star guard's return timeline as his ankle responds to treatment over the next few days.

Though the Warriors currently reside in ninth place in the Western Conference, their 12-4 record since Feb. 5 is the best among teams in the West and they trail the sixth-place Phoenix Suns by just 3 1/2 games. The top six teams are guaranteed to avoid the play-in round and earn a spot in the conference quarter-finals for the upcoming play-offs.

Curry has stayed mostly healthy this season and is in the midst of another standout campaign, as the 10-time All-Star leads the NBA in 3-point field goals made (290) while averaging a team-leading 26.9 points in 59 games. The Warriors have lost all three games he's missed this season.

The 36-year-old does have a history of issues with his right ankle, however, including two surgeries he underwent in 2011 and 2012.

"I know we're going to miss him if he does have time off,” teammate Klay Thompson said following Thursday's game. “We've been in his position before where he has had time off and we've just got to do it collectively. I know he'll be ready to go when he does come back, whenever that is. We just want to wish him a speedy recovery and to take his time.”

Golden State will play three games in five days beginning with Saturday's home matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors then visit San Antonio on Monday before another road game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.