The Charlotte Hornets kept their NBA play-off hopes alive with a dramatic 113-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors.Jeremy Lamb – who less than a fortnight ago hit a buzzer-beater from his own half to secure victory against Toronto – nailed a game-winning three-pointer with under four seconds left on Friday night.There was still time for Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard to see a potential leveller get stuck between the rim and the backboard with less than a second left as Charlotte held on.

That victory moved Charlotte within two games of the final play-off spot in the Eastern Conference, with the Hornets having three games left to play.

The Detroit Pistons slipped into that eighth place after they suffered a third straight defeat, going down 123-110 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Russell Westbrook had 19 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds for the Thunder as he secured a season average of a triple-double for the third year in a row.

The Orlando Magic are up to sixth and moving closer to clinching a place in the post season after they beat the Atlanta Hawks 149-113.

The Miami Heat sit ninth after a 111-109 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the seventh-placed Brooklyn Nets were not in action on Friday.

Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics strengthened their case for home-court advantage in the first round of the play-offs by beating the Indiana Pacers 117-97.

Stephen Curry scored 40 points as the Golden State Warriors downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-114 while the Los Angeles Lakers saw off city rivals the Clippers 122-117.

James Harden scored 26 points in 29 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter of the Houston Rockets’ 120-96 win against the New York Knicks.

Delon Wright recorded his first career triple-double as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-112 while the San Antonio Spurs had eight players score at least 10 points in their 129-112 victory against the Washington Wizards.

The Utah Jazz extended their winning run to seven games with a 119-98 win over the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns toppled the New Orleans Pelicans 133-126, while the Denver Nuggets overcame the Portland Trail Blazers 119-110.