Wednesday's slate featured six games that could have an impact on playoff seeding in both conferences.
With a logjam in the middle of the West and a tight battle at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, every win is so important with a week and a half left in the regular season.
Here's how Wednesday's games impacted the playoff picture:
Utah Jazz 124, Memphis Grizzlies 115
The Jazz used a 9-0 run to open up a double-digit lead late in the fourth which they rode to victory getting their 43rd win of the season.
Joe Ingles was sensational, finishing two points shy of his career-high with 25 points and five assists while shooting 54.5 percent from three. Former Grizzlies star Mike Conley added 23 points and seven assists in the win.
Memphis has yet to win a game in the bubble and with Jaren Jackson Jr. now out of the lineup for the season, their hold on the eighth seed in the West is in serious jeopardy.
𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 threes for Joseph Howarth Ingles #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/qEGIZWTMHi
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) August 5, 2020
What it means: With the win, the Jazz have done their best to keep in the mix for the third seed in the West. Memphis, however, allowed Portland to gain ground on them for the final available playoff spot. The Grizz have a tough remaining schedule with games coming up against the Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, and Bucks.
Philadelphia 76ers 107, Washington Wizards 98
The 76ers held off the Washington Wizards, but the biggest story is what happened to Ben Simmons.
MORE: Ben Simmons injury update
Simmons left the game in the third quarter and did not return with an apparent left knee injury. The injury appeared to be non-contact, but according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, there was no swelling or pain in the knee. Simmons is now day-to-day with the injury after undergoing an MRI, which came back clean.
Ben Simmons limped off the court and went straight to the locker room pic.twitter.com/G9jmjIy40Q
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) August 5, 2020
What it means: The win allows Philly to stay within striking distance for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They're now just a game behind the Pacers with each team having five games left on their schedule. The Wizards' loss puts them in jeopardy of being eliminated from playoff contention. If both the Magic and Nets win on Wednesday, the Wizards will officially be eliminated.
Denver Nuggets 132, San Antonio Spurs 126
Michael Porter Jr. has been worth the wait for Nuggets fans who hoped he'd be able to live up to his potential. Porter Jr. had another stellar game in the bubble finishing with a game-high 30 points, and 15 rebounds, shooting 55.6 percent from 3-point range in their comeback win over the Spurs.
Back-to-back 30+ point games for @MPJr! pic.twitter.com/v92wc6mN7X
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) August 5, 2020
Nikola Jokic added 25 points, 11 assists in the win. Porter Jr. and Jokic seem to be building solid chemistry together in the bubble so far, which can only mean good things once Denver welcomes Jamal Murray back to the lineup ahead of the playoffs.
What it means: Denver restores their 2.0 game lead over the Jazz for the third seed in the West. The Spurs' loss keeps them out of ninth in the West and drops them 2.0 games behind the eighth seed.
Oklahoma City Thunder 105, Los Angeles Lakers 86
All five Thunder starters, led by Chris Paul, scored in double figures and contributed 85 of the team's total points.
21p | 66.7% FG | 7r | 6a | Midrange Magic
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) August 6, 2020
Chris Paul with the @OGandE Power Play of the Game. pic.twitter.com/eP77OAZBJR
The 86 points are the fewest allowed by OKC to the Lakers since 2016, and is a season-low for the West's top-seeded team. Both the Lakers' All-Stars - LeBron James (19 points, 11 rebounds, four assists) and Anthony Davis (nine points, eight rebounds, five assists) had off shooting nights, combining to go 10-of-30 from the field.
What it means: With the win, the Thunder jump ahead of the Houston Rockets for the fifth seed in the West. They are, however, still a 0.5 game behind the Utah Jazz for the fourth seed. Prior to this game, the Lakers had already clinched the top seed in the West.
Toronto Raptors 109, Orlando Magic 99
The defending champions remain unbeaten in the season restart.
They improve to 3-0 in Orlando, after a 109-99 win against the Magic where six Raptors scored in double figures. Fred VanVleet was the top contributor with game-highs of 21 points and 10 assists.
Told you @FredVanVleet layup package is elite pic.twitter.com/6s1JiKRJcb
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 6, 2020
For the Magic, who trailed by as many 24, All-Star Nikola Vucevic was their top contributor with 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
What it means: The Raptors continue to make ground on the top-seed Milwaukee Bucks, who are yet to clinch the conference's no.1 seed and need just one win to do so. The defending champions are now 4.5 games behind after this win.
Boston Celtics 149, Brooklyn Nets 115
Suiting up without Kemba Walker, on the second night of a back-to-back, the Celtics went off for a season-high 149 points. As many as seven players scored in double figures, led by 21 from Jaylen Brown.
As a team, the Celtics shot 50-of-88 (56.8%) from the field and 20-of-39 (51.3%) from beyond the arc.
transition dunks >>> pic.twitter.com/rCPoP7iqPq
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 6, 2020
For the Nets, who struggled to knock down 3-pointers (8-of-32 3PT), Joe Harris was their top contributor with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
What it means: With the win, the Celtics improve to 2-2 for the restart and, more importantly, create some separation with the Miami Heat for the third seed. They now hold a 1.5 game lead while trailing the Raptors by 4.5 games for the second seed. On the other hand, the loss means the Nets lead the Magic only by 0.5 of a game for the eighth seed in the East.
Current standings
| EAST | WEST | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | GB | Team | W | L | GB | ||
| 1 | x - Milwaukee Bucks | 54 | 14 | - | 1 | x - Los Angeles Lakers | 51 | 16 | - |
| 2 | x - Toronto Raptors | 49 | 18 | 4.5 | 2 | x - LA Clippers | 45 | 22 | 6 |
| 3 | x - Boston Celtics | 45 | 23 | 9 | 3 | x - Denver Nuggets | 45 | 23 | 6.5 |
| 4 | x - Miami Heat | 43 | 25 | 11 | 4 | x - Utah Jazz | 43 | 25 | 8.5 |
| 5 | x - Indiana Pacers | 42 | 26 | 12 | 5 | x - Oklahoma City Thunder | 42 | 25 | 9 |
| 6 | x - Philadelphia 76ers | 41 | 27 | 13 | 6 | x - Houston Rockets | 42 | 25 | 9 |
| 7 | Brooklyn Nets | 32 | 36 | 22 | 7 | x - Dallas Mavericks | 41 | 29 | 11.5 |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 32 | 37 | 22.5 | 8 | Memphis Grizzlies | 32 | 37 | 20 |
| 9 | Washington Wizards | 24 | 44 | 30.0 | 9 | Portland Trail Blazers | 31 | 38 | 21 |
| 10 | San Antonio Spurs | 29 | 38 | 22 | |||||
| 11 | New Orleans Pelicans | 29 | 38 | 22 | |||||
| 12 | Phoenix Suns | 29 | 39 | 22.5 | |||||
| 13 | Sacramento Kings | 28 | 39 | 23 |
x - Clinched Playoffs Berth
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