The Warriors clinched the top seed in the Western Conference Thursday night while keeping their hopes of setting the NBA's single-season wins record alive.
Golden State (70-9) looked dominant in a convincing 112-101 win over the visiting Spurs. The Warriors had lost two of their last three at Oracle Arena, but pulled away from the Spurs late in the first quarter and never looked back.
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Stephen Curry led the way with a game-high 27 points, while Harrison Barnes added 21 points for the Warriors, who joined the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10) as the only NBA teams to ever win 70 games in a season. Chicago's win total of 72 that season is the all-time benchmark the Warriors are chasing.
"It was a great win," Curry told TNT after Thursday's game. "We've stumbled a little bit the last three home games. Against a team like that playing at a high level, we wanted to get a win.
"We got a little, for lack of a better term, pissed off the way we played the last couple of games."
It won't be easy for the Warriors to win out. A trip to San Antonio, where the Spurs (65-13) haven't lost all season, awaits on Sunday. And it's bookended by a pair of games against the Grizzlies.
Highlights:
The Suns left Houston's Toyota Center Thursday with a 124-115 win over the Rockets, who have simply not been having a good season.
Miami's Josh Richardson probably had the dunk of the night in the Heat's 106-98 win over the Bulls.
— NBA RETWEET (@RTNBA) April 8, 2016
Studs of the night:
Mirza Teletovic scored 26 points off the bench to help the Suns beat the Rockets, but Phoenix forward P.J. Tucker had 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Suns center Tyson Chandler added 21 points and 10 boards in the win.
Dud of the night:
DeMar DeRozan may have led the Raptors with 16 points, but it came on 7-of-24 shooting during a 95-87 loss to the Hawks. DeRozan also missed both of his 3-point attempts.
Tweet of the night:
Doug McDermott must've forgotten which sport he played.
MCDERMOTT REALLY JUST TACKLED WHITESIDE LMFAOO pic.twitter.com/Dg12w8Gyju
— NBA RETWEET (@RTNBA) April 8, 2016
What's next:
Pacers (42-36) at Raptors (52-26), 7:30 p.m. ET — The Pacers are trying to hang on to the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference while the Raptors, who lost to the Hawks Thursday, are still chasing Cleveland for the top spot. The Raptors will most likely wind up with the No. 2 seed, meaning Friday's matchup with the Pacers could be a preview of a first-round playoff matchup.
Grizzlies (42-36) at Mavericks (40-38), 8:30 p.m. ET — Like the Pacers in the East, the Mavericks hope to hold onto the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Catching the Trail Blazers for the No. 6 spot is unlikely, sitting two spots back with four games remaining. But if they hope to avoid the Spurs and Warriors in the first round, beating the Grizzlies is a must. Memphis, on the other hand, hopes to avoid a late-season slide into one of the bottom two seeds in the West.