A six-game slate made up the NBA schedule for Thursday night.
To start things off, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked like a juggernaut in the opening half, but the Indiana Pacers ended up outscoring the Thunder, 58-43, in the second half to come away with a huge victory. The Pacers now hold a half-game lead for the third seed over the Philadelphia 76ers in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Boston Celtics also came away with a hard-fought win over the Sacramento Kings, despite trailing by double-digits in the first half.
Later, the Los Angels Lakers continued to struggle as they fell to the Toronto Raptors north of the border. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 25 points and knocked down five 3-pointers in a Toronto victory.
The night ended with a bang as the Denver Nuggets came from behind to defeat the Dallas Mavericks. Star big man Nikola Jokic knocked down the game-winning shot as time expired to give the Nuggets an impressive win. Now the Nuggets trail the Golden State Warriors by just one game for the top seed in the Western Conference.
Here is everything you need to know about Thursday's action, along with Friday's schedule.
NBA scores for Thursday, March 14
Orlando Magic 120, Cleveland Cavaliers 91 (Box Score)Indiana Pacers 108, Oklahoma City Thunder 106 (Box Score)Boston Celtics 125, Sacramento Kings 118 (Box Score)Toronto Raptors 111, Los Angeles Lakers 98 (Box Score)Utah Jazz 120, Minnesota Timberwolves 100 (Box Score)Denver Nuggets 100, Dallas Mavericks 99 (Box Score)NBA schedule for Friday, March 15
*All times Eastern
Jokic one-ups Doncic at the buzzer
Luka Doncic has absolutely no fear for a rookie. With the Mavericks trailing by one in the final minute, Doncic drove his way into the lane and deposited a tough one-handed slam dunk in traffic to give Dallas the lead.
However, Doncic missed the ensuing free throw and Nikola Jokic answered with a heroic shot of his own, drilling an off-balance, mid-range jumper as time expired to win the game for Denver.
Millsap deposits alley-oop from Morris
Paul Millsap was cooking in the first half against the Mavericks, to say the least. He threw down this picture-perfect lob from Monte Morris in the second quarter.
Mitchell throws down baseline jam
Donovan Mitchell continues to look like the steal of the 2017 draft. He received this pass in the corner before deciding to put the ball on the floor and throw down a massive one-handed slam dunk against the Timberwolves.
Leonard leads the way in win over Lakers
Kawhi Leonard may not have had the most efficient night, but he poured in 25 points and hit five 3s against the Lakers. Leonard was one of four Toronto players to finish in double-figures.
Matthews wins it for Pacers
The Thunder controlled the play in the opening half against the Pacers, but Indiana pulled out a stellar comeback victory. With just 1.8 seconds remaining, Wesley Matthews was able to rebound and deposit home a Bojan Bogdanovic miss for the game-winning basket.
LeBron soars for slam against Raptors
LeBron James may not be bound for the postseason, but that hasn't stopped him from playing at the highest level. In the second quarter against the Raptors, James attacked the rim and threw down a huge two-handed slam in transition.
Isaac rocks the rim with monster throwdown
The Magic are still fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Forward Jonathan Isaac absolutely attacked the paint and threw down this huge slam dunk with authority early in the third quarter against the Cavaliers.
George carves up his former team
Paul George received a mixture of cheers and boos prior to Thursday's game against the Indiana Pacers. On this play, George exploded in the lane and threw down a monster one-handed slam dunk.
