Manu Ginobili poured in 32 points as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 100-81 to clinch their 13th consecutive play-off spot.
Tim Duncan added 24 points to see the Spurs move a half-game ahead of idle Portland for seventh spot in the Western Conference and one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers failed to clinch the Western Conference crown and were jeered from the court by their fans as even a season-high 32 points from Pau Gasol could not help them avoid a third loss in four games.
The Oklahoma Thunder remain on course for seventh spot following a 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kevin Durant scored 40 points to set a new franchise record for scoring in a season, beating Dale Ellis' 31-year record.
Oklahoma is also only one-and-a-half games behind Dallas, Denver, Utah and Phoenix.
The Boston Celtics held off a late rally from the Cleveland Cavaliers to edge the Eastern Conference winners 117-113.
Ray Allen scored a season-high 33 points as Boston ended a three-game losing streak to move within a game of the inactive Atlanta Falcons for third spot.
The Orlando Magic have all but clinched the Southeast Division title and second spot in the East, after they triumphed 107-92 over the Memphis Grizzlies to move four-and-a-half games clear of Atlanta with six games remaining.
The tie was marred by an on-court scuffle as a clash between Matt Barnes and Hasheem Thabeet escalated into a near 10-player shoving match.
The Toronto Raptors saw their play-off hopes dealt a blow as they slipped to their first defeat in four games, losing 113-112 against the Golden State Warriors.
The victory saw Don Nelson equal Lenny Wilkens' record for the most wins by an NBA coach.
Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers crushed the Houston Rockets 133-102, while the Washington Wizards triumphed over the New Jersey Nets 109-99 and the New York Knicks edged the Los Angeles Clippers 113-107.