Brooklyn Nets' Ben Simmons committed a 'bush league move' when he took a shot at his old team as the Philadelphia 76ers lost in the playoffs to the Boston Celtics, Mark Medina has told GiveMeSport. Simmons was drafted first overall in 2016 by the 76ers and many expected him to help turn the franchise around. However, Simmons never lived up to the hype as he dealt with plenty of injuries and had a tough time getting on the court.After some troubling years in Philadelphia, and Simmons basically holding out, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. The departure was not a nice one and after the 76ers lost to the Celtics, Simmons took to Instagram to make fun of his old team.

A buzzer-beating three-pointer from Damian Lillard earned the Portland Trail Blazers a place in the second round of the NBA play-offs as his side clinched a narrow 118-115 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.The point guard amassed a play-off career-high 50 points but the night will no doubt be remembered for the last-gasp 37ft shot which sent his team into the Western Conference semi-finals.

The LA Clippers produced the biggest comeback in NBA play-off history after recovering from 31 points down to stun the Golden State Warriors and level their first-round series up at 1-1.Golden State, the two-time reigning NBA champions, looked to be cruising to victory at Oracle Arena as they built a 94-63 lead midway through the third quarter.However, the Clippers roared back in stunning fashion, scoring 72 points in the final 20 minutes to defeat their hosts 135-131 in a thrilling game two.

The sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets upset the highly-rated Philadelphia 76ers 111-102 to take a 1-0 lead in their NBA play-off series.D’Angelo Russell had 26 points, while Caris LeVert had 23 and added four rebounds and two assists for the Nets, giving the Sixers only their 11th defeat at home this season in 42 games.Jimmy Butler scored 36 points for Philadelphia, but Joel Embiid failed to light up the Wells Fargo Centre with a 22-point haul and Ben Simmons only made nine.A last-gasp three-pointer from DJ Augustin helped the Orlando Magic beat The Toronto Raptors 104-101.Augustin, who had 25 on the night, scored with 3.5 seconds left and Kawhi Leonard missed a chance to take the game into overtime.

The Charlotte Hornets condemned the Detroit Pistons to their fourth straight loss and boosted their own play-off hopes with a 104-91 victory.Kemba Walker hit 31 points and had eight rebounds as Charlotte recorded a third straight win and moved one game behind the Pistons in the battle to claim the final play-off spot in the Eastern Conference.Walker scored 20 in the first half, while Frank Kaminsky scored 24 and Jeremy Lamb added 17 in the victory.

The Charlotte Hornets kept their NBA play-off hopes alive with a dramatic 113-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors.Jeremy Lamb – who less than a fortnight ago hit a buzzer-beater from his own half to secure victory against Toronto – nailed a game-winning three-pointer with under four seconds left on Friday night.There was still time for Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard to see a potential leveller get stuck between the rim and the backboard with less than a second left as Charlotte held on.

James Harden amassed 31 points as the Houston Rockets downed the Los Angeles Clippers 135-103 at the Staples Center.The reigning MVP made his case for this year’s accolade as another 30-plus game powered his side to their fourth-straight victory.Team-mate Chris Paul was not far behind, finishing with 29 points, and had fans on their feet with a buzzer-beating three-pointer at end of the third quarter.Houston sit third in the Western Conference, with the Clippers in sixth, potentially setting up a first-round play-off game between the pair.The Charlotte Hornets, meanwhile, kept their faint play-off hopes alive with a 115-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.Kemba Walker proved the Hornets – in 10th place in the Eastern Conference – have not given up on their post-season chances, pouring in 21 points in the fourth quarter and finishing with 32 for the night.

Joel Embiid poured in 39 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 123-110 at the Wells Fargo centre.The 25-year-old finished with 13 rebounds and six assists on a night where he recorded his 27th game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.

The Portland Trail Blazers needed two periods of overtime to beat the Brooklyn Nets and secure a play-off place – but it came at a cost.Starting centre Jusuf Nurkic had scored 32 points and claimed 16 rebounds in the 148-144 victory but suffered a leg injury in the second overtime period after landing awkwardly.Nurkic was carried off on a stretcher and Blazers coach Terry Stotts confirmed after the game that the Bosnian had been taken to hospital.

Steph Curry hit 36 points as the Golden State Warriors regained their top spot in the Western Conference with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.Minnesota went into the game having lost their last three and four Warriors put up double figures in the 117-107 victory.Curry scored 22 of his 36 in the third quarter, Klay Thompson scored 28 and Kevin Durant 17, while Karl-Anthony Towns top scored for the Timberwolves with 26 points and 21 rebounds.

The Golden State Warriors became the first team in the Western Conference to clinch a play-off spot with a 110-88 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.Steph Curry scored 33 points for the Warriors, who were still missing an injured Kevin Durant, but Klay Thompson was on hand to provide the back-up with 23 points.The win means the Warriors – who cannot finish any worse than in eighth place – move into their seventh straight play-off berth.The San Antonio Spurs extended their winning run to eight games as they overcame the Portland Trail Blazers 108-103.DeMar DeRozan finished with 21 points for the Spurs but there was further disappointment for Portland after CJ McCollum exited the court in the third quarter with a leg injury.In New Orleans, the Phoenix Suns edged the Pelicans 138-136 in a nail-biting finish at the Smoothie King Center.

DeMarcus Cousins produced a stellar performance as the Golden State Warriors edged out the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.The 28-year-old posted season-highs in points (27) and assists (seven) in addition to eight rebounds as the Warriors narrowly won 106-104, ending the Rockets’ nine-match winning streak.The visitors were without injured All-Star Kevin Durant due to an ankle injury, but Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson led Golden State into a 14-point fourth-quarter lead thanks to their 24 and 30-point displays respectively.

The Los Angeles Lakers continued a bleak losing run with a 120-107 defeat to the Boston Celtics.LeBron James finished with 30 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 80th career triple-double but his efforts proved in vain as Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris dealt another blow to the Lakers’ play-off hopes.Irving helped keep the Celtics on track for the post-season with 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Smart and Morris both finished with 16 points to help guide Boston to their third straight win.The Lakers – without three starters due to injury – have now lost five in a row.

LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers fell further behind in the NBA play-off race after losing 131-120 to the Milwaukee Bucks.James last missed the play-offs in 2005 and has appeared in the NBA Finals in each of the last eight seasons.He scored 31 points and had 10 assists on Friday night but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers losing for the third time in four games.

Russell Westbrook set an NBA record with his 10th straight triple-double as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Portland Trail Blazers 120-111.The Thunder star recorded 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to break a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive triple-doubles.Paul George also scored a triple-double for Oklahoma with 47 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Stephen Curry was the fourth-quarter hero as the Golden State Warriors claimed an 11th straight road win at Phoenix Suns.Curry scored 10 fourth-quarter points as Phoenix, who led by as many as 17 in the first quarter, failed to hold on to a six-point advantage with under nine minutes left on the clock.The Warriors scored 13 consecutive points at 94-88 down, and Curry’s late scoring spree saw them home 117-107 with Klay Thompson (25) top scoring.Anthony Davis returned from a three-week absence to score 32 points as the New Orleans Pelicans beat Minnesota Timberwolves 122-117.Davis was booed during his pre-game introduction and whenever he touched the ball during his first appearance since asking for a trade and recovering from a finger injury.The All-Star forward sat out the final 15-plus minutes, but there was no sign of injury as he stayed on the bench and Jrue Holiday (27) and rookie Kenrich Williams (19) guided the Pelicans to victory.Former Pelican Nikola Mirotic, acquired by Milwaukee at the trade deadline, was missing as the Bucks won 122-107 at the Dallas Mavericks.Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Bucks recorded a sixth consecutive win, with Brook Lopez (20), Eric Bledsoe (18) and Malcolm Brogdon (18) also in scoring form.The New York Knicks suffered a 15th successive defeat in losing 120-103 to the Detroit Pistons.Andre Drummond collected 29 points and 20 rebounds and Blake Griffin had 26 points as Detroit won for the fourth time in five games and their sixth straight win versus New York.Dennis Smith Jr scored a career-high 31 points for the NBA-worst Knicks, who have now lost 23 of their last 24 games.

James Harden scored at least 30 points for a 26th straight game as the Houston Rockets beat Utah Jazz 125-98.The shooting guard scored 29 of his 43 points by half-time and surpassed the 30-point marker with a driving floating jump shot in the third quarter.The reigning MVP’s hot streak is the third longest in NBA history and also helped the Rockets snap a two-game losing streak.Harden also had five assists, 12 rebounds, four blocks and six steals, while Donovan Mitchell had to settle for a top score of 26 points for Utah.The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, struggled without LeBron James, losing 115-101 against the Golden State Warriors, with their star man rested after returning from a lengthy injury on Thursday night.Klay Thompson was back on court after missing one game due to illness and finished with 28 points, two assists and five rebounds.

James Harden notched yet another 30-plus game but it was not enough for the Houston Rockets as they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116.Jahlil Okafor scored 27 and Jrue Holiday 19 as the Pelicans ended a three-game skid.Anthony Davis, who is locked in a public dispute over his future with the Pelicans, sat out his fifth straight game with a sprained left index finger.

The high-flying Golden State Warriors made it 11 wins in a row with a 132-100 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.Steph Curry top-scored with 26 points – 23 of which were in the first half – and six rebounds, while DeMarcus Cousins claimed 22 and Kevin Durant netted 16 with seven assists.The Warriors’ winning streak is the longest in the NBA so far this season and sees them sit top of the Western Conference, two victories ahead of the Denver Nuggets.The Nuggets rallied from 25 points down in the second half to edge out the Memphis Grizzlies 95-92.

James Harden scored a career-high 61 points as his Houston Rockets side defeated the New York Knicks 114-110.Harden continued his purple patch with his fifth 50-point game of the season, adding 15 rebounds and four assists at Madison Square Garden.He secured the win when the Knicks turned over the ball with five seconds remaining, scoring a lay-up as Houston cemented their position on top of the Southwest Division.The Indiana Pacers won their third game in a row 110-106 over the Toronto Raptors, but the side may be more concerned about an injury suffered by Victor Oladipo.The All-star suffered a serious right knee injury part-way through the second quarter and was carried off on a stretcher.The Boston Celtics won their fifth-straight game with a 123-103 victory over the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers, while D’Angelo Russell claimed 25 points and 10 assists as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Orlando Magic 114-110.

James Harden continued his stunning form with a season-high 57 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 112-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.The reigning NBA MVP reached at least 30 points for the 17th successive game – the best such run since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 – and had done so by half-time at Toyota Center.He had 36 points on the board by the end of the second quarter and continued his onslaught after the resumption before finishing with his best haul of the campaign to date.And in another piece of history-making, Harden broke a franchise record by scoring more than 40 points for the 14th time this season.In response to Harden’s points avalanche, Memphis’ best return was the 14 points recorded by Garrett Temple and Mike Conley as the Grizzlies fell to an eighth loss in nine games.Tony Parker enjoyed a successful first return to San Antonio since moving to Charlotte last summer as the Hornets claimed a 108-93 victory over the Spurs.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 116-109 win over the Houston Rockets despite 42 points from fellow MVP favourite James Harden.Harden, the 2017-18 MVP, reached the game-high double digits at Toyota Centre but was overshadowed by his rival’s double-double as Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points, 21 rebounds and five assists.The close match-up saw the Rockets lead by six points at half-time but the Bucks made the most of a powerful third quarter, outscoring their opponents 38-23, to take control of the game.A Harden rally in the fourth got the Rockets within three points but the point guard paid the price with four missed shots and the Bucks went on to wrap up their seventh win in eight games.Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls suffered their fifth loss in a row as the Portland Trail Blazers used a late surge to emerge 124-112 winners.CJ McCollum scored 24 points as Damian Lillard reached his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 assists.

A last-gasp three-pointer from Victor Oladipo snatched the Indiana Pacers a thrilling 119-116 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls.With just 0.3 seconds remaining, the point guard, who finished with 36 points and seven rebounds, secured the Pacers a sixth straight win.Zach LaVine top-scored with 31 points and forced the extra period with a three-pointer at the end of regulation, but saw his final attempt from the corner hit the basket a split second after the buzzer.

Paul George finished with 37 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.Facing a tough crowd after rejecting the Lakers last summer, the five-time NBA All-Star scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter as the Thunder fought their way back from a five-point deficit.The victory puts Oklahoma on seven wins from 10 games, while the Lakers have fallen to 1-3 since losing LeBron James to a groin injury.Joel Embiid top scored for the Philadelphia 76ers with 42 points, tying for his season high, and added 18 rebounds in the 132-127 win over the Phoenix Suns.Ben Simmons scored 29 points and JJ Redick added 27 for the 76ers who narrowly saw off a second-half rally from the Suns after leading by 30 in the third quarter.The Detroit Pistons ended a three-game losing run, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 101-94.

The Toronto Raptors came through a dramatic fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 106-104 and improve their NBA-best record.Kawhi Leonard led the way with 30 points, eight rebounds and two steals, while Danny Green hit a three-pointer to put the Raptors ahead with just over 20 seconds remaining.The final quarter saw the lead change hands 12 times, with Miami missing the chance to take the win on the game’s final possession.Toronto now stand on 26 wins and 10 losses for the season.

Steph Curry nailed a last-gasp lay-up to give the Golden State Warriors a narrow 129-127 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.The Clippers’ Avery Bradley tied the game at 127-127 with 20.6 seconds left on the clock, having seen the Warriors grasp a 103-94 lead going into the fourth.After a big third quarter which saw Curry contribute 11 points, it was then left to the point guard to salvage the victory, finding the basket with 0.5 seconds left on the clock and walking away with a night’s total of 42 points, six rebounds and two assists.

The leaders of the Eastern and Western NBA conferences sparred off on Sunday night – with the Denver Nuggets prevailing 95-86 against the Toronto Raptors.Denver put 27 points on the board in the final quarter and restricted the Raptors to just 14 to record their third win in a row.Nikola Jokic was top scorer for the Nuggets with 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Jamal Murray added 19 and Torrey Craig 13.Kawhi Leonard claimed 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors who have now lost two on the bounce.Ben Simmons hit a triple-double – his third of the season – as the Philadelphia 76ers overcame the Cleveland Cavaliers 128-105.Simmons finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists as the Sixers survived a Cavalier resurgence in the third when they scored 12 without reply to make it 86-85.John Wall recorded 40 points as the Washington Wizards beat the Los Angeles Lakers 128-110, with LeBron James finishing with 13 points.

The Boston Celtics clinched their seventh consecutive victory by beating the Washington Wizards 130-125 after overtime.Kyrie Irving scored back-to-back three pointers late in the extra period to secure a nailbiting win for the Celtics.The side overcame an 11-point deficit at the start of the third quarter as they improved their record to 17-10 for the season.

The Brooklyn Nets ended an eight-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors 106-105 in thrilling fashion on Friday night.D’Angelo Russell finished with 29 points, scoring six in overtime, while Jarrett Allen clinched the game-winning basket with just over a minute remaining on the clock.Fred VanVleet aimed for a three-pointer on the buzzer but saw the ball spin off the rim, handing the Nets their first win against the Raptors since 2015.In North Carolina, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Denver Nuggets to snap their opponents’ seven-game winning run.Kemba Walker finished with 21 points, including eight assists and six rebounds, giving the Hornets their first win in four games.

The Milwaukee Bucks pulled back from an early charge by the Chicago Bulls as Khris Middleton nailed a tie-breaking three-pointer to earn a 116-113 home victory.The Bulls racked up a 40-30 advantage in the first quarter but stalled in the second, leaving the scores near dead-level at half-time.Helped by a season-high 36 points for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks preserved a narrow three-point lead into the fourth, but the Bulls hit back, first to 111-111 then 113-113.It came down to a late intervention by Middleton, who struck from beyond the arc with 5.2 seconds left to lift Milwaukee clear.