Head coach Doc Rivers slammed the Milwaukee Bucks after their slump continued against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, saying losing to "bad teams" is inexcusable. 

The Raptors had lost 15 straight games ahead of their trip to Fiserv Forum, but Gary Trent Jr.'s 31 points helped condemn the Bucks to a surprise 117-111 defeat, their fifth loss in six games. 

Milwaukee were without Giannis Antetokounmpo as the two-time NBA MVP battles a hamstring injury, though Damian Lillard returned after three games out to score 36 points. 

However, it wasn't enough for the Bucks, who pulled within two points with 54.5 seconds left but saw Khris Middleton miss a potential go-ahead 3-pointer before four free throws saw Toronto home.

Still occupying second place in the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee are now just one game clear of the Cleveland Cavaliers and two ahead of the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks.

Each of their last three defeats have come against teams who are .351 or lower in the Washington Wizards (15-63), Memphis Grizzlies (27-50) and Toronto (24-53), leaving Rivers enraged. 

"The last three were against pretty bad teams, and to me that's inexcusable for all of us," Rivers said. 

"This is on me. I've got to figure out what we've got to do to play at a higher pace. The defense has to be better. We've got to work ourselves through this."

Lillard echoed those sentiments, adding: "These are situations where we've just got to have discipline and get the job done, and we haven't.

"But if you ask anybody in the league, they'll tell you these are some of the hardest times of the season.

"We've got to take accountability. If it was one of these games, it's alright, the next two should be handled. To have three of them is disappointing. We've just got to do better."

For the Raptors, Friday's win was their first since March 3 against the Charlotte Hornets, with stars RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley having both been absent in recent weeks.

Barrett had 26 points and Quickley had 25 on Friday, leaving coach Darko Rajakovic to sing their praises, saying: "It's great when we have our guys coming back and playing.

"I thought during the whole stretch the team stayed together. It's good to get a win."

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.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been fined $100,000 by the NBA for violating the league's injury reporting rules after Joel Embiid's return to the court.

Embiid spent over two months on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury during a game against the Golden State Warriors at the end of January, undergoing surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his left knee.

The reigning NBA MVP, who was in outstanding form before sustaining the injury, sat out 29 straight games before returning to help the Sixers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 109-105 on Tuesday.

Embiid had 24 points in his first game back then added 29 on his latest outing on Thursday as the Sixers beat the Miami Heat by the same scoreline.

However, Philadelphia have fallen foul of the NBA's injury reporting rules after initially saying Embiid would not face the Thunder.

Embiid was listed as being out of that game for 24 hours before he was suddenly upgraded to questionable just one hour and 15 minutes before he was named in the Sixers' starting lineup.

In a statement issued on Friday, the league said: "The 76ers failed to accurately disclose the game availability status of Joel Embiid prior to their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.  

"Embiid was listed as 'out' in Philadelphia's initial injury report and subsequently played in the game. The fine takes into account the 76ers' prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules."

Embiid is expected to be rested for one of the Sixers' two road games this weekend, as they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Having won three straight games, the Sixers now sit just one game behind the sixth-placed Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference standings and have a chance of avoiding the Play-In Tournament. 

LeBron James’ son Bronny has confirmed he will enter the 2024 NBA draft as he looks to follow in his father’s footsteps.

The 19-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest last July and had surgery to repair a congenital heart defect during his first year as a USC student.

But, providing he clears the required medical check, he could be about to join his dad, who is the all-time record points scorer, in the NBA.

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Bronny James said on Instagram: “I’ve had a year with some ups and downs but all added to growth for me as a man, student and athlete.

“I’ve made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility, and will also be entering the NCAA transfer portal.

“Thank you to USC for an amazing Freshman year, and as always thankful for my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support.”

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.

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla lauded his side after clinching NBA Playoffs home advantage following Wednesday's routine victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Celtics powered to a 135-100 triumph against the Thunder as Boston secured the best NBA record this season and home-court preference for the postseason.

Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, while Jayson Tatum finished with 24 points and Jaylen Brown added another 23 as Boston made it 11 straight wins.

"It's very hard to do. We may never be in this position again," Mazzulla said. "We talked about it as a team. We talked about it before the game, to try to treat this game as the clincher.

"To kind of put that on ourselves to be able to do that. I think it was important for us to simulate that. We should enjoy it tonight, and when we wake up tomorrow – nobody cares."

The Celtics extended to 60-16 for the season, though Brown still wants more when the playoffs arrive.

"We're not skipping any steps," Brown said. "Sixty wins. I think we're on track. When the playoffs start, it's back to square one."

Porzingis added: "We deserve it. I think it's possibly going to matter if we follow through with the vision we have for ourselves."

There were some Boston concerns after Brown was questionable with a left-hand injury heading into the Thunder clash, though the Celtics man assured all is well.

"I think it's fine. It's something I'm not concerned with moving forward," he said. "But it bothered me a little bit tonight."

Mazzulla will hope Brown is available when Boston look to improve their record further when hosting the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

The New York Knicks' play-off run won't include All-Star forward Julius Randle.

The Knicks announced on Thursday that Randle will have surgery on his right shoulder and won't return this season.

Rande injured the shoulder in a win over the Miami Heat on January 27, and the initial prognosis was he would be side-lined for several weeks.

After two months of rehabilitation without significant progress, however, the decision has been made for him to undergo surgery.

He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to play around the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Randle was instrumental to New York's success over the season's first three months, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game to earn a third All-Star selection.

The 29-year-old had started the Knicks' first 46 games before dislocating his shoulder against the Heat. He exited with 4:27 to play after appearing to land hard on his right shoulder after colliding with the Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Although Randle's injury puts a serious dent in New York's hopes of winning its first NBA title since the 1972-73 season, the Knicks haven't lost much ground in the Eastern Conference standings since his injury.

At the time Randle got hurt, New York was 29-17 (.630) and in fourth place in the East.

Despite going just 15-14 (.517) since the injury, the Knicks have only dropped one spot in the conference, trailing the fourth-place Orlando Magic by just one-half game and the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers by one game. They are two games ahead of the Heat and Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks, however, have been stumbling lately, heading into Thursday's game against the visiting Sacramento Kings riding a three-game losing streak.

Kristaps Porzingis tallied 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks and the Boston Celtics won their 11th straight home game, 135-100 over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum added 24 points and Jaylen Brown had 23 and seven rebounds as the league-leading Celtics (60-12) clinched the NBA’s best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Josh Giddey scored 17 points and Luguentz Dort added 15 for the Thunder, who had 14 turnovers and made just 5 of 24 from long range.

Oklahoma City lost its second straight and fell into third place in the Northwest Division, one game behind Denver and Minnesota.

The Thunder were without All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the fourth time in five games due to a bruised right quadriceps.

Pistons’ Flynn drops 50 in loss

Malachi Flynn scored a career-high 50 points, but it wasn’t enough as Jalen Johnson had his first career triple-double to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 121-113 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Flynn blew past his previous career high of 27 points by shooting 18 of 25 from the field, 5 of 9 from long range and 9 of 12 on free throws in 34 minutes. The 50 points were a franchise record for a reserve.

Johnson had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists and De’Andre Hunter added 26 points as the Hawks won their sixth in seven games to clinch a berth in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

Davis keeps Lakers surging

Anthony Davis scored 19 of his 35 points in the first quarter and grabbed 18 rebounds to propel the Los Angeles Lakers to their eighth win in nine games, 125-120 over the Washington Wizards.

LeBron James had 25 points and nine assists and Rui Hachimura added 19 points for the Lakers, who completed a 5-1 road trip and are ninth in the Western Conference, one game behind Sacramento.

Jordan Poole scored 29 points for the Wizards, who are a loss shy of matching the franchise record of 63, set in 2008-09.

Joel Embiid has revealed his recent injury layoff left him feeling depressed, having returned to the court to help the Philadelphia 76ers past the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. 

Embiid missed over two months of action after suffering a knee injury during a game against the Golden State Warriors at the end of January.

Having undergone surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his left knee, Embiid sat out 29 straight games with the Sixers slumping from 29-17 to 40-35 in that time.

The Sixers have gone 14-27 without the reigning NBA MVP overall this campaign, and they were buoyed by his return on Tuesday as he finished their 109-105 win with 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Opening up on the toll his injury took, Embiid said: "Usually I just tell myself, 'move on to the next one', get better, and then fix it, but this one took a toll mentally, being depressed, it was not good.

"So, I'm still not where I'm supposed to be, especially mentally, but I just love to play and love basketball and I want to play. Any chance that I have to be out there, I'm going to take it.

"For some reason this injury was just disappointing. It was depressing. It took me a while to get over it, and I still haven't gotten over it. So I've just got to take it day by day, look at the positives.

"I'm back. So, hopefully every single day, I'll try to get better and get back to myself."

Embiid was limited to just 29 minutes on the court, but only Kelly Oubre Jr., with 25 points, bettered his return as Philadelphia boosted their playoff hopes by making it back-to-back wins. 

"Minutes-wise, that was probably where I thought we would end up," head coach Nick Nurse said. "I thought we had a good start and it mapped out something like that, minutes-wise.

"He scored some, I thought he passed the ball really well, but when we start amping up our defense in the last six minutes he was down there again.

"Some of those drives didn't look as productive, so that to me is where I really thought he impacted the game. He looked pretty good for not playing for a couple of months, that's for sure."

Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford will step down at the conclusion of this season when his contract expires and is expected to take on an advisory role in the front office.

The Hornets are a dismal 18-57 after going 27-55 in 2022-23 in Clifford’s return to Charlotte.

“This is the appropriate time for me to step down,” Clifford said. “I believe this is best for me and the organisation. I’m excited about the future of the Hornets – our young core of players.

“I want to thank all the Hornets players and staff for their work the past two seasons and our Hornets fans for their continued support of our team.”

The 62-year-old Clifford began his NBA head coaching career in 2013-14 with Charlotte and posted a 196-214 record in five seasons while reaching the playoffs twice.

The Hornets fired Clifford following the 2017-18 season, and he was hired six weeks later as the head coach of the Orlando Magic.

Clifford went 96-131 with a pair of play-off appearances in three seasons with Orlando before the sides parted ways following the 2020-21 campaign.

Charlotte then brought Clifford back in June 2022, and his 241 coaching victories are the most in franchise history.

“I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for Coach Cliff, and I understand his decision to step down,” Hornets Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson said.

“His basketball knowledge, teaching ability and work ethic are well-respected throughout the NBA. He has had to endure some very difficult circumstances the past two years, and yet our players have continued to compete, work hard and develop.

“On behalf of the entire Hornets organisation, I want to thank Steve for all his efforts, and we look forward to having him remain a part of the organisation.”

The Hornets said they would immediately begin the search process for their next head coach.

“We will look to hire someone that shares our values and vision in developing our young core and creating a culture and identity based on teamwork, accountability and competitiveness,” Paterson said.

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.

Philadelphia 76ers center and reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid will return to the lineup Tuesday, completing his two-month rehabilitation from left meniscus surgery.

Embiid will suit up Tuesday to face the Western-Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in his first game since Jan. 30.

Embiid’s return gives hope to a 76ers team that has struggled to tread water without the seven-time All-Star. Philadelphia are 26-8 with Embiid in the lineup and have gone 11-18 over the last two months.

The 76ers will face a delicate balancing act over the final seven games of the regular season as they gradually work Embiid back into his full load of minutes while also trying to avoid the East’s play-in tournament.

The Sixers enter Tuesday’s action in eighth place in the East, trailing the Indianapolis Pacers by 2.5 games for the No. 6 seed.

Embiid started this season on a historic pace, scoring more than a point per minute played over his first 34 games. He is averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.76 blocks per game this season.

Even with Embiid’s return, the 76ers are still not full strength, as Tyrese Maxey will remain out Tuesday with a day-to-day left hip injury.

Devin Booker was over the moon to share his historic NBA moment with numerous family and friends after scoring 52 points for the Phoenix Suns in Monday's victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Suns star Booker recorded his fifth-highest scoring game of his career after posting 50+ against the Pelicans, bringing Phoenix within a game of No.6 New Orleans in the Western Conference.

With that monumental haul, Booker became the first NBA player since Wilt Chamberlain to score 50 points in three straight games against a single opponent.

"It means a whole lot," said Booker, who registered 52 against the Pelicans in January and 58 in December 2022.

"My family was in attendance for two of them. Any time you get named for something Wilt did – it's happened very few times in my career – you know you did something special."

Phoenix coach Frank Vogel lauded Booker's showing, having watched him record 52 points against New Orleans for the second time this year.

"There's something about playing in this building against this opponent," Vogel said. "[He] just really has a comfort zone here.

"To go for 50 three straight times against a single opponent, it just shows what kind of special player he is. Three times in a row is just incredible."

Kevin Durant added another 20 points, along with 19 for Jusuf Nurkic, as the Suns ran rampant in a 124-111 victory.

"It was like deja vu," Durant said of teammate Booker's exploits. "As it was happening, I couldn't believe he was doing it again."

Having already suffered from Booker's dominance previously, Pelicans coach Willie Green credited the Suns man but left no excuses for his team.

"He hit some shots that we gave him, and he also hit some tough shots," Green said. "We have to do better.

"There's no excuse to get 50, put on you twice [in a season]. Quite frankly, we were soft-guarding him.

"We just had a soft mentality when it came to being physical with him, and he's a great player, and you can't allow him to be comfortable."

Devin Booker racked up 52 points with a prolific shooting display that carried the Phoenix Suns to a 124-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday to tighten the Western Conference play-off race.

The win moved Phoenix within one game of New Orleans in the battle for the important No. 6 seed in the West. The top six teams in each conference are guaranteed a spot in the quarter-final round of the post-season, while teams seven through 10 will be forced to compete in the play-in tournament.

Phoenix was able to narrow the gap primarily behind Booker, who finished 19 of 28 from the field and 8 of 16 from 3-point range while adding nine assists.

The Suns also received 19 points and 19 rebounds from Jusuf Nurkic, while Kevin Durant had 20 points to help send the Pelicans to a second straight loss.

Both Booker and the Suns got off to sizzling starts, as the All-Star guard tallied 24 first-quarter points on 8-of-10 shooting during a dominant opening quarter. Seventeen of those points came during a 30-7 run that staked Phoenix to a 44-20 lead with under two minutes to go in the period.

Phoenix ended the first quarter up 46-28 and carried a 74-54 advantage into half-time with Booker amassing 37 points on 14-of-18 shooting over the first two quarters.

The Pelicans trailed by as many as 27 points in the second half but did make a belated push to get back in it, as Zion Williamson sparked an 8-0 run that CJ McCollum capped with a 3-pointer to pull New Orleans within 115-108 with 2:46 left.

That was as close as the Pelicans would get, however, as Booker scored his final two points on a layup with 1:34 to go that gave Phoenix a 119-110 lead.

Williamson paced New Orleans with 30 points and Trey Murphy recorded 21 in the loss. 

Krejci's perfect shooting night helps Hawks down Bulls

Vit Krejci went 6 of 6 from 3-point range for a career-high 18 points to help the surging Atlanta Hawks to a 113-101 win over the Chicago Bulls in a matchup of potential Eastern Conference play-in teams.

Krejci's flawless shooting, along with 20 points and six assists from Bogdan Bogdanović, powered the Hawks to a fifth win in six games and moved them within a half-game of ninth-place Chicago in the East standings. Dejounte Murray added 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Atlanta.

The Bulls got 31 points from DeMar DeRozan but failed to match Atlanta's accuracy from the perimeter, as they shot just 25 per cent (7 of 28) from 3-point range compared to 47.5 per cent (19 of 40) for the Hawks.

Krejci scored 15 points in the first half as Atlanta took a 61-53 lead into the break before extending the margin in the third quarter.

A DeAndre Hunter 3-pointer followed by Clint Capela's alley-oop dunk increased the Hawks' advantage to 75-62 five minutes into the third quarter, and Atlanta built a 90-74 lead entering the fourth after Garrison Mathews knocked down a triple in the final seconds of the third.

Coby White added 22 points for Chicago, which lost for the fifth time in seven games, while Andre Drummond accumulated 13 points and 18 rebounds off the bench.

Tatum, Hauser key Celtics' win over Hornets

Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser had 25 points each as the East-leading Boston Celtics stayed hot with a 118-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Tatum added 10 rebounds and Hauser went 7 of 11 on 3-point attempts as the Celtics posted their 11th win in their last 13 games. Boston, which has already clinched the East's No. 1 play-off seed, also received 20 points from Kristaps Porzingis and 19 from Derrick White.

Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges each had 14 first-half points to keep the underdog Hornets close for much of the first two quarters. The teams were tied at  53-53 with under two minutes to go until half-time before the Celtics closed out the second quarter with six straight points to forge ahead.

Boston then got further separation by outscoring Charlotte by a 36-26 margin in the third quarter, which Hauser capped with a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 95-79. Porzingis recorded 11 of his points during the period.

Bridges ended with 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in Charlotte's eighth loss in its past nine games. Miller finished with 19 points and Grant Williams had 23 along with seven rebounds for the Hornets.