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NBA-Highlights of Friday's NBA games

March 27 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Friday's National Basketball Association games. - - - Warriors 107, Grizzlies 84 Stephen Curry scored 38 points and Klay Thompson added 28 to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 107-84 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, their eighth win in a row. Golden State (59-13) avenged a 105-98 loss to the Grizzlies (50-23) in December. Memphis were the only team this season the Warriors had not defeated. - - - Hawks 99, Heat 86 DeMarre Carroll scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half to pace the Atlanta Hawks to a 99-86 win over the Miami Heat. The victory, along with Cleveland's loss to Brooklyn, enabled Atlanta (55-17) to clinch first place in the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign. Miami (33-39) hold seventh place in the East by one game. - - - Spurs 94, Mavericks 76 Boris Diaw scored 19 points, helping the Spurs defeat the Dallas Mavericks 94-76 to split the season series with two victories apiece. Dallas (45-28) committed 18 turnovers and lost guard Monta Ellis with an injury to his right knee. - - - Rockets 120, Timberwolves 110 James Harden recorded his league-leading 31st 30-point game, and Josh Smith flirted with a triple-double, as the Houston Rockets clinched a postseason berth with a 120-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Harden finished with 33 points and eight assists for the Rockets (49-23), who closed to within a half-game of the Memphis Grizzlies for second in the West. - - - Clippers 119, 76ers 98 Chris Paul scored 25 points as the Los Angeles Clippers battered the Philadelphia 76ers 119-98 to clinch a playoff berth for a fourth straight season. The Clippers (48-25) have won six straight and are currently fifth in the Western Conference. Nerlens Noel had a career-high 30 points and 14 rebounds for the Sixers (18-55). - - - Celtics 96, Knicks 92 Isaiah Thomas scored 18 points off the bench and Boston kept their half-game lead on the final playoff spot in the East by beating the New York Knicks 96-92. - - - Nets 106, Cavaliers 98 Joe Johnson paced a balanced scoring attack with 20 points and nine assists, leading the Brooklyn Nets to a 106-98 win over Cleveland. The victory enabled Brooklyn (31-40) to keep pace with Boston and Indiana for eighth place in the East. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Cavaliers (47-27). - - - Pelicans 102, Kings 88 Tyreke Evans scored 25 points and had 10 assists, and Anthony Davis scored 24 points, as the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a four-game losing streak with a 102-88 win over the Kings. The Pelicans (38-34) are three games behind in the race for the final playoff spot in the West. DeMarcus Cousins scored a game-high 39 points for Sacramento. - - - Wizards 110, Hornets 107 (double overtime) John Wall scored 32 points, including seven in double overtime, as the Washington Wizards snapped a four-game losing streak with a 110-107 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Wizards improved to 41-32 on the season. - - - Raptors 94, Lakers 83 Jonas Valanciunas scored 19 points as the Toronto Raptors beat the Lakers 94-83 and captured the Atlantic Division. Toronto improved to 43-30 while the Lakers fell to 19-52. - - - Pistons 111, Magic 97 Reggie Jackson had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists -- his second triple-double in nine days -- to lead the Detroit Pistons to an easy 111-97 victory over the Orlando Magic. The Pistons (28-44) won for the fifth time in their last six games. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)