Thunder Chase No 1 Seed In West As Celtics Tighten Atlantic Lead

The NBA play-off race tightened across both conferences as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets all earned vital wins, while the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors slipped further in their seeding battles during a crucial Sunday schedule.

Oklahoma City and Boston strengthened their positions near the top of their respective conferences, while Houston extended a strong surge that still left the Rockets stuck in fifth in the West. At the same time, Utah, Golden State and Toronto saw their play-off situations grow more difficult after heavy or narrow defeats.

The Thunder produced their highest-scoring game of the season and defeated the Utah Jazz 146-111, boosting their pursuit of the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed. Oklahoma City, now 62-16, moved three games clear of the San Antonio Spurs, with both teams having four games still to play in the regular season schedule.

Oklahoma City opened a 15-point lead after the first quarter against Utah and never allowed the game to tighten again. The defending NBA champions controlled the contest so completely that no Thunder player needed more than 26 minutes, giving key contributors extra rest for the final week.

Chet Holmgren delivered 21 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in only 22 minutes, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds in what was a season-low 24 minutes. The reigning league MVP and NBA Finals MVP watched the entire fourth quarter from the bench as Oklahoma City stayed dominant throughout.

Utah’s problems deepened as the Jazz slipped to 21-58 and matched their longest losing run of the season at nine games. The last two defeats came by a combined 69 points, underlining the team’s defensive struggles. Brice Sensabaugh stood out with 34 points, five assists and four rebounds, but Utah have only three wins from the last 24 games.

Across the Western Conference, both Oklahoma City and Houston are in form but still face pressure in the standings. In the East, Boston continued to chase better play-off positioning while Toronto drifted towards the NBA Play-In Tournament places following another defeat.

NBA Rockets edge Warriors despite Curry scoring burst

In San Francisco, the Houston Rockets edged a close 117-116 win over the Golden State Warriors and stretched their winning streak to a season-best six games. The victory spoiled Stephen Curry’s comeback after a right knee injury, which had sidelined the guard since 30 January and kept Curry out for 27 straight games.

Curry came off the bench for Golden State and made an instant impact. The two-time NBA MVP played 26 minutes, hit 11 of 21 shots overall and finished with 29 points, four assists and five made three-pointers, showing sharp rhythm despite the long lay-off.

Golden State dropped to 36-42 after a fourth consecutive defeat and have now lost 12 of the past 16 games. The Warriors appear locked into the 10th seed in the Western Conference, which would require back-to-back victories in the NBA Play-In Tournament to claim the eighth and final play-off place.

Houston, by contrast, improved to 49-29 with another strong display from Kevin Durant, who produced 31 points along with eight rebounds, eight assists and three blocks. Durant’s last assist created Alperen Sengun’s winning layup with 11 seconds remaining, yet the Rockets stayed one game behind Denver for fourth because the Nuggets are on an eight-game winning streak.

NBA Celtics close on Atlantic Division and secure East position

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics moved closer to a fifth straight Atlantic Division title with a 115-101 home win over the Toronto Raptors. Jaylen Brown finished with 26 points, while Jayson Tatum added 25 as Boston extended a run of good late-season form.

Tatum also collected 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, giving the Celtics a productive all-round display. Boston, now 53-25, opened a three-game advantage over the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division, with both teams having four games still to play as they chase improved play-off seeding behind the conference champion Detroit Pistons.

Boston’s recent form has been strong, with three straight wins and 24 victories from the last 31 games putting the Celtics in range of securing the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. Toronto, now 43-35, dropped for the third time in four games, sliding behind the Philadelphia 76ers into seventh place and closer to NBA Play-In Tournament danger.

The Raptors now hold only a half-game edge over the Charlotte Hornets in eighth, with the Orlando Magic a further game back in ninth. As the regular season winds down, Sunday’s results left Oklahoma City, Houston and Boston better placed for play-off pushes, while Utah, Golden State and Toronto face mounting pressure to stabilise or risk an early finish.