NBA: Miami Heat concede top spot in Monday nights action

The Miami Heat were happy to concede home-court advantage throughout the play-offs after they rested their star players in a 114-93 defeat to the Washington Wizards.

LeBron James and Chris Bosh sat out as the Heat’s defeat handed the Indiana Pacers the number one seeding in the Eastern Conference.

Trevor Ariza’s game-high 25 points got the job done for the Wizards, currently ranked sixth, although it hardly appeared to matter to the Heat.

The Golden State Warriors‘ hopes of going deep into the post-season were hit despite a stirring 130-120 comeback win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors’ found out just before the game that their starting Australian centre Andrew Bogut, a former number one draft pick, could miss the play-offs with a fractured right rib.

The Californians then slipped 19 points behind in the first half only for Stephen Curry’s 32 points and 15 assists to inspire the turnaround.

The Memphis Grizzlies clinched the final play-off place in the Western Conference with a 97-91 at the Phoenix Suns.

The Toronto Raptors claimed a franchise-record 48th win for the season as they toppled the Milwaukee Bucks 110-100 while the Chicago Bulls remained deadlocked with them for the third seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Orlando Magic 108-95.

The Charlotte Bobcats needed Chris Douglas-Roberts’ buzzer-beater to edge an under-strength Atlanta Hawks 95-93.

The Houston Rockets swept their season series against the San Antonio Spurs for the first time in 25 years with a 104-98 win and the New Orelans Pelicans ended their hoodoo against the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-89. The Pelicans had lost their past 10 games against the Thunder.

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 119-104 win at the Utah Jazz while the Philadelphia 76ers ended their four-game losing run 113-108 at home to the Boston Celtics.