Stephen Curry had 24 points as the Golden State Warriors used a smothering defensive effort in the third quarter to pound the Washington Wizards 107-76 on Monday . The Warriors held the Wizards without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes after halftime , with Washington missing its first 15 shots . Golden State outscored the Wizards 29-8 in the quarter to take a 24-point lead . Curry also had six assists and five rebounds as the NBA-leading Warriors ( 57-13 ) moved closer to securing the league 's top playoff seed . Golden State has a huge lead over Memphis ( 50-21 ) in the Western Conference and is pulling away from East-leading Atlanta ( 53-17 ) as well . Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors handles the ball against the Washington Wizards at Oracle Arena . Curry hit 24 points as the Golden State Warrior pounded the Washington Wizards 107-76 in Oakland . Boston 's Evan Turner had 19 points , 12 assists and 10 rebounds as the Celtics downed the New Jersey Nets 110-91 to end a three-game losing streak that had dropped them out of playoff position . Avery Bradley scored 20 points to lead the Celtics , who moved a half-game ahead of Charlotte for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference . The Hornets lost 98-86 at Chicago . Brook Lopez scored 31 points for the Nets , who had won two in a row to give themselves renewed playoff hopes . James Harden scored 44 points as the Houston Rockets handed the Pacers their sixth straight defeat . Josh Smith was on top form as he netted 18 points for the Rockets who have now won four of their last five . In Indianapolis , James Harden scored 19 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter as the Houston Rockets handed the Pacers their sixth straight loss 110-100 . Josh Smith added 18 points for the Rockets ( 47-23 ) , who have won four of five . Indiana 's sinking playoff hopes took another big hit despite 23 points from C.J . Watson . The Chicago Bulls clinched a playoff spot after Nikola Mirotic scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter in a 98-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets . Pau Gasol grabbed 27 points as Chicago joined Toronto in a tie for third place in Eastern Conference . Pau Gasol had 27 points and 12 rebounds as Chicago moved into a tie with Toronto for third place in the Eastern Conference . Jimmy Butler added 19 points in his return to the lineup after missing 11 games with a sprained left elbow . In other games , Zach Randolph scored 23 points and Marc Gasol had 21 as the Memphis Grizzlies secured a playoff spot with a 103-82 road win over the Brooklyn Knicks . While Minnesota rookie guard Zach LaVine scored 27 points , including two 3-pointers to force overtime , as the Timberwolves edged the Utah Jazz 106-104 . Minnesota rookie guard Zach LaVine scored 27 points to force overtime as Timberwolves beat the Utah Jazz .
Stephen Curry netted 24 points as the New Jersey Nets won again . Warriors used smothering defensive effort to pound Washington Wizards . Brook Lopez renewed playoff hopes by hitting 31 points for Brooklyn Nets . Chicago Bulls clinched a playoff spot after Nikola Mirotic netted 28 points .