Another busy day of hoops means more opportunities for teams to move up in the standings.
Here's a closer look at how each of Friday's games impact the playoff picture in the Eastern and Western Conference.
San Antonio Spurs 119, Utah Jazz 111
The Spurs took full advantage of Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert having the night off for the Jazz.
Six players scored in double figures for San Antonio in the win. Derrick White led the way with 24 points, followed by Jakob Poeltl (19), Rudy Gay (14), Lonnie Walker IV (14), DeMar DeRozan (13) and Dejounte Murray (11). Poeltl also pulled down 10 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season.
Sneaky, Jakob. Very, very, very sneaky.
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 7, 2020
📺 @FOXSportsSW pic.twitter.com/Remksv8cWe
Jordan Clarkson scored a team-high 24 points for the Jazz and Tony Bradley had a career game off the bench with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
What it means: The Spurs keep their postseason dreams alive. They're now in 10th place in the Western Conference, trailing the Portland Trail Blazers in ninth by one game and the Memphis Grizzlies in eighth by two games. The play-in tournament is still within reach for San Antonio.
Memphis Grizzlies 121, Oklahoma City Thunder 92
The Grizzlies picked up their first win in the bubble.
The Thunder got off to a strong start, but the Grizzlies mounted a comeback behind the play of Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks and Jonas Valanciunas. Morant and Valanciunas had 19 points each, whereas Brooks scored a team-high 22 points on an efficient 10-for-18 shooting from the field.
The three of them helped the Grizzlies outscore the Thunder 56-36 in the paint.
ball fake king 👑@JaMorant | #MemphisVsErrrbody pic.twitter.com/tsV3Jus1jj
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) August 7, 2020
What it means: The Grizzlies hold on to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference for another day. The Blazers now trail them by one game while the Spurs trail them by two games.
For the Thunder, they swap positions with the Jazz in the standings, falling from No. 5 to No. 6 with the loss. They're now facing the prospect of playing the Denver Nuggets in the first round as opposed to the Houston Rockets.
Brooklyn Nets 119, Sacramento Kings 106
Have yourself a game, Jarrett Allen!
The 22-year-old came close to his first career triple-double, posting 17 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
The Nets got big games out of Caris LeVert and Joe Harris as well, with the two combining for 43 points.
17 PTS | 11 REB | 8 AST
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 8, 2020
📼 @_bigjayy_ became the first Nets center ever with that statline 📼 pic.twitter.com/WaLWCLa3Ta
The Nets are now 3-2 in the bubble despite not having Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan. Who saw this coming? Not me, that's for sure.
What it means: The Kings now have the worst record among the Western Conference teams fighting for a chance to make the playoffs. The Nets, meanwhile, remain at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia 76ers 108, Orlando Magic 101
After winning their opening two games in the season restart, the Magic have now dropped three in a row.
It was a four-man show for the 76ers. Tobias Harris finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds while Joel Embiid recorded 23 points and 13 rebounds. Al Horford chipped in with 21 points and nine rebounds starting in place of the injured Ben Simmons and Alec Burks contributed with 22 points off the bench, making for his highest scoring game since joining the 76ers at the trade deadline.
JOEL ON THE ATTACK! 😳 pic.twitter.com/wOPR4phxhF
— NBA (@NBA) August 8, 2020
What it means: There are now 1.5 games separating the Nets in seventh place from the Magic in eighth place with three games to go for both teams. Orlando's best chance of closing in on Brooklyn will come on Tuesday when the two teams go head-to-head.
The 76ers now have the same record as the Pacers, but Philadelphia has to finish with a better record than Indiana to get the No. 5 seed. Why? The Pacers own the tiebreaker.
New Orleans Pelicans 118, Washington Wizards 107
Rui Hachimura (23), Thomas Bryant (22) and Troy Brown Jr. (20) each scored 20 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Jrue Holiday's best game yet in Orlando.
Without Zion Williamson, who sat out due to rest, Holiday dominated to the tune of 28 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
JRU3 👌 pic.twitter.com/TbFpW4cAgb
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 8, 2020
What it means: The Wizards have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Pelicans are now 1.5 games behind the Blazers and half a game behind the Spurs for ninth place in the Western Conference.
Boston Celtics 122, Toronto Raptors 100
The Celtics handed the Raptors their first loss in the season restart.
Jaylen Brown was the star for the Celtics, as he scored a team-high 20 points and helped limit Pascal Siakam to 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting from the field.
What it means: The Raptors are still one win or one Celtics loss away from clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
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