The Miami Heat and LeBron James begin an all-or-nothing campaign for an NBA title while defending champion Dallas Mavericks and Kirk Nowitzki face a tough start to the opening weekend of the playoffs.

The San Antonio Spurs moved to within one victory of securing the Western Conference top seed for the playoffs on Sunday as the NBA's leading contenders continued to jostle for position in the final week of the regular season.

The streaking Los Angeles Clippers knocked Oklahoma City out of first place in the West with a forceful 92-77 victory on Monday that earned the hosts a first playoff berth in six years.

Chris Paul scored 24 of his game-high 31 points in a dominant second half display to carry the Los Angeles Clippers to a last-ditch 100-98 road victory over the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

The San Antonio Spurs stayed mere percentage points in front of Oklahoma City for the Western Conference lead after both teams won Sunday to intensify their battle in the final month of the NBA season.

The San Antonio Spurs blew past the New Orleans Hornets 128-103 to claim the Western Conference lead with their 10th consecutive victory on Friday.

The Lakers kept their noses ahead of the Clippers in the Pacific Division race with a tense 113-108 victory in the battle between the well-matched Los Angeles teams on Wednesday.

LeBron James delivered a season-high 41 points in the absence of injured sidekick Dwyane Wade as the Miami Heat clinched a playoff berth with their 99-93 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

Randy Foye landed a career-high eight three-pointers as the Los Angeles Clippers scored a commanding 94-75 rout of the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks on Monday in a potential first-round playoff clash.

Kevin Durant led the league-leading Thunder to a seventh consecutive victory as Oklahoma City used an explosive fourth-quarter charge to rally for a 105-102 road victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

Tony Parker scored a season-high 42 points to propel the San Antonio Spurs past the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 107-96 on Saturday night.

Blake Griffin delivered the dunk of the season on a rim-rattling slam over Kendrick Perkins to highlight the Los Angeles Clippers' 112-100 victory over the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

The National Basketball Association does not yet have a ratified labor agreement but the league moved full speed ahead on Tuesday by announcing a provisional schedule.

The Dallas Mavericks overcame an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to reach the NBA finals for only the second time with a 100-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday. Dallas clinched the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series by a 4-1 margin with the thrilling Game Five win and will face either the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls in the NBA finals.

The Mavericks lead the West Conference finals series 3-1 and can secure a place in the championship game against the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls, with a victory in game five in Dallas Wednesday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, getting a tremendous boost from their bench, beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-100 to level the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals at 1-1 on Thursday.

Miami Heat defeated Boston Celtics 97-87 on Wednesday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Heat won the series 4-1, and will play either Chicago or Atlanta in the conference finals.

The Miami Heat piled the pressure on bruised and battered Boston by taking a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series with a 102-91 victory on Tuesday.

The Miami supporting cast helped the Heat survive one final run from the Philadelphia 76ers to hold on for a 97-91 victory on Wednesday that advanced them to the next round of the NBA's play-offs.

Indian tennis duo Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna got a photo op with Miami Heat's star Dwayne Wade.

Grant Hill scored a season-high 30 points and added 11 rebounds to help the new-look Phoenix Suns slow the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 113-110 victory on Sunday.