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NBA roundup: Houston Rockets seal playoff spot

Sports Mole rounds up all the action from Friday's games in the NBA.

The Houston Rockets clinched a place in the NBA playoffs with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Rockets needed a dominant spell in the fourth quarter to make sure of their 50th win of the season, but James Harden finished with 39 to end the team's three-game run without a win.

Meanwhile, the Thunder's Kevin Durant tied Michael Jordan's record as he scored at least 25 points for the 40th game in a row.

The Miami Heat were beaten by a last-gasp shot after two overtimes in their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ray Allen missed a chance to win the game in regulation for the two-time defending champions, allowing Corey Brewer to make a free throw with 1.8 left in the second overtime period.

The Indiana Pacers were beaten for the sixth time in their last eight games, losing to the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors needed a solid fourth quarter to secure the win, but Terrence Ross, Jonas Valancuinas and DeMar DeRozan all finished with more than 20 points.

The Charlotte Bobcats held off a late push from the Orlando Magic to clinch their third win in a row.

Al Jefferson put the Bobcats ahead with 29 points, 21 of which came in the first half, while Victor Oladipo led a late charge for the visitors, but they came up short.

The Golden State Warriors thrashed the Sacramento Kings to move closer to securing a place in the playoffs.

Klay Thompson led the scoring for the Warriors with 21, while DeMarcus Cousins had 19 for the visitors, but lacked support from his teammates.

The New York Knicks dropped out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after being beaten by the Washington Wizards.

Carmelo Anthony struggled to keep the ball, and was held to 10 points, allowing Bradley Beal to put the Wizards ahead with less than seven seconds to go in the fourth quarter.

The Chicago Bulls sealed their fourth win in a row with victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bulls spread the workload, with seven players reaching double figures, including Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich, who jointly led the side with 17.

The Dallas Mavericks cruised to a comfortable victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brandan Wright added a season-high 23 off the bench, while Dirk Nowitzki's 27 leaves him just 32 points off a place in the NBA's top 10 all-time scorers.

The Brooklyn Nets extended their unbeaten run at home to 15 games with a comfortable win over the Detroit Pistons.

The Nets ran up the score either side of half time, with Shaun Livingston adding 23, while Mirza Teletovic added six three-pointers.

The Portland Trail Blazers missed the chance to seal a playoff berth, being comfortably beaten by the Phoenix Suns.

Gerald Green added 18 of his 32 points in the second half as the Suns fought back to secure the win.

A strong second-half performance helped the Memphis Grizzlies secure a win over the Denver Nuggets, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

The visitors led at the break, but Marc Gasol and Mike Conley got the Grizzlies back into the game to seal an 11th straight victory at home.

The Atlanta Hawks moved back into the playoff places in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mike Scott helped the Hawks to a big lead by the end of the first quarter, and the Cavaliers were never able to recover.

The Philadelphia 76ers overturned a first-half deficit to beat the Boston Celtics, claiming their second win in a week.

The Sixers, who broke their 26-game losing streak last weekend, were led by Michael Carter-Williams and Henry Sims, who both finished with 24.

The Utah Jazz ended a five-game run without a win by beating the New Orleans Pelicans.

Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward combined for 42 as the Jazz pulled away in the second half.

Results in full: Denver Nuggets 92-100 Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic 80-91 Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers 94-102 Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers 98-117 Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers 111-102 Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons 104-116 Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves 122-121 Miami Heat, Washington Wizards 90-89 New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks 90-102 Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans 96-100 Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder 107-111 Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns 109-93 Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings 69-102 Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks 107-95 Los Angeles Lakers

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Greg Oden #20 and LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat high five during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Arena on January 23, 2014
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