The Miami Heat returned to the top of the Eastern Conference with a comfortable win over the Indiana Pacers.

LeBron James helped the defending champions edge ahead in the first half, before the hosts opened the third quarter with a 16-0 run to put themselves in control, allowing them to leapfrog the Pacers to regain top spot in the conference.

The San Antonio Spurs overturned a 21-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns, ensuring that they will finish the regular season with the best record in the NBA.

Eric Bledsoe led the Suns to a big lead during the second quarter, but Danny Green finished with a career-high 33 to give the Spurs home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers to become the sixth team to clinch a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Stephen Curry led the way with 30 points, while Klay Thompson and Marreese Speights each added 16 to send the Warriors to the playoffs for the second season in a row.

The New York Knicks edged past the Toronto Raptors to keep themselves in the race for the final playoff place in the Eastern Conference.

Carmelo Anthony added 30 while Amare'e Stoudemire had a season-high 24 to keep the Knicks just wins behind the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks won their own game, beating the Brooklyn Nets to hand the Raptors the Atlantic Division title.

Jeff Teague, who finished the game with 22 points, helped the visitors open up an eight-point lead by half time, getting the better of his brother Marquis Teague, who he was matched up against.

Mason Plumlee and Marcus Thornton tried to get the Nets back into the tie after the break, but they could not avoid the defeat, which ends their 15-game unbeaten run at home.

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up their third win in a run, cruising to victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook continued their formidable form to add 51 points between them, ensuring that the Thunder will finish as the Western Conference's second seeds.

The Chicago Bulls fought back from 18 points down to claim a win over the Detroit Pistons, extending their winning run to seven games.

The home side finished the third quarter strongly before outscoring the Pistons 36-18 in the last 12 minutes, led by DJ Augustin who finished the game with 24 points.

Damian Lillard went on a late scoring run to help the Portland Trail Blazers to a big win over the Utah Jazz.

Lillard scores 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as the Blazers beat the Jazz by 12 points.

The Washington Wizards dominated the fourth quarter of their game against the Orlando Magic to give them their first win in three attempts.

Nene and Bradley Beal combined for 33 points to lead the Wizards to victory, while the Magic struggled with their shooting in the final 12 minutes.

Gorgui Dieng made a late jump shot to give the Minnesota Timberwolves a narrow two-point win over the Houston Rockets.

Corey Brewer led the charge for the Wolves, finishing with a career-high 51, before Dieng made the winning move with 4.6 seconds to spare.

The Memphis Grizzlies thrashed the Philadelphia 76ers to move into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Marc Gasol and Mike Miller combined for 40 to lift the Grizzlies above the Phoenix Suns into eighth place in the conference.

The Boston Celtics ended their nine-game losing streak with a narrow win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Bobcats tried to get back into the game late on, but Phil Pressey forced Jannero Pargo to miss a last-gasp shot, preventing the game from going to overtime.

The Milwaukee Bucks held off the Cleveland Cavaliers to secure their 15th win of the season, leaving them with a chance to avoid finishing bottom in the league.

Brandon Knight helped the Bucks surge ahead, before some late points from Chris Wright cancelled out the visitors' attempts at a comeback to leave Milwaukee two wins before the 76ers with three still to play.

Results in full: Washington Wizards 96-86 Orlando Magic, New York Knicks 108-100 Toronto Raptors, Charlotte 103-106 Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks 93-88 Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers 86-98 Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons 98-106 Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers 95-117 Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets 1110-112 Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans 94-116 Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers 116-119 Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns 104-112 San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers 111-99 Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors 112-95 Los Angeles Lakers