The Boston Celtics edged back into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and put a dent in the Charlotte Hornets' hopes of reaching the post-season by winning at Time Warner Cable Arena in one of seven NBA games on Monday.

Avery Bradley was the leading scorer for the visitors with 30 points and eight rebounds as Boston climbed back into the top eight in what is an extremely crowded race to reach the playoffs.

The standout individual performance of the night came from the Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan, who scored a career-high 42 points to help his side to a narrow victory over the Houston Rockets.

The shooting guard edged out good friend James Harden (31 points) as the Rockets saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.

The Atlanta Hawks improved their East-best record to 56-18 with a comfortable home win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Kyle Korver scored 11 points in 65 seconds at one point in the third quarter, but DeMarre Carroll was the hosts' top scorer with 23 points, also contributing eight rebounds and five assists.

The Memphis Grizzlies halted their losing streak at three games by brushing aside the Sacramento Kings at home.

Their recent slide had seen them drop to third in the West, but with the Rockets losing in Toronto they are now back up to second behind the runaway Golden State Warriors.

Damian Lillard led the Portland Trail Blazers to a victory over the Phoenix Suns that guaranteed them a place in the playoffs.

The Northwest division leaders are all but guaranteed home-court advantage in the post-season as they are six-and-a-half games clear in their division and currently lie fourth in the standings after Lillard's 19 points and seven assists.

There was overtime at Wells Fargo Center as the two of the league's worst teams met, and it was the visiting Los Angeles Lakers who came out on top against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jordan Clarkson had a double-double with 26 points and 11 assists, also making a floater with 0.7s left in overtime to seal the win for his side.

The Utah Jazz inflicted a fourth straight defeat on the West's bottom side by cruising to victory at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Gordon Hayward led all scorers as the Jazz, who are out of playoff contention, notched their second victory in a row.

Results in full: Boston Celtics 116-104 Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers 113-111 Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks 88-101 Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets 96-99 Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings 83-97 Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz 104-84 Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns 86-109 Portland Trail Blazers