This was no April Fool’s joke: The Golden State Warriors’ NBA-record home winning streak is over.
Isaiah Thomas scored all 22 of his points in the second half, including a layup with 8.3 seconds left, and the gritty Boston Celtics snapped the Warriors’ 54-game home winning streak - 36-0 this season - with a 109-106 victory on Friday.  
“We just wanted to go out and get the win for us because we were on a two-game losing streak,” Thomas said. “We were aware of the winning streak on their home court and wanted to stop that.”   
After Thomas’ driving layup put the Celtics up by three, league top gun Stephen Curry missed a game-tying 3-pointer with 5.3 seconds left that missed.
The Warriors kept possession but Harrison Barnes’ rushed three-point try was off the mark, and the defending league champions suffered their first regular season loss since January 27, 2015.
“All things considered, it was a pretty good look and I thought it was going down but it didn’t,” said Curry, who finished with a game-high 29 points. “That’s just how the game goes. Tonight wasn’t our night.”
Rather than sulk over the rare loss, Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised his club, who still own a sparkling league-best 68-7 record. “I congratulated them, we just won 54 games in a row, that’s incredible,” he said. “I don’t think people understand the intensity and work it takes to put together a streak like that. It takes a lot out of you.”
Kerr, then, tipped his hat to the Celtics. “They outplayed us, they deserved to win,” he said. “Our execution was really bad and up until the last five minutes, they were the aggressor.”
Evan Turner scored 21 points for Boston (44-32), while Jared Sullinger had 20 with 12 rebounds in the stunner.  “The best part about today, there was a real sense of purpose,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “We stayed the course and kept grinding at it.”
Draymond Green had 16 points and Klay Thompson added 15 for the Warriors, who need to win five of their last six games to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ all-time record of 72 victories in a single season. “The next is going to be interesting,” Curry said. “We want to get back to that winning type of mentality. We don’t want this to snowball into something heading into the post-season.”
Elsewhere:
•Cleveland Cavaliers 110, Atlanta Hawks 108 (OT): LeBron James had 29 points - to move past Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson into 11th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list - to go along with 16 rebounds and nine assists, as the East-best Cavaliers (54-22) recovered to clip the Hawks after blowing a 21-point first-half cushion. Paul Millsap had 29 points with 12 rebounds to pace the Hawks (45-32), while Jeff Teague netted 28 and nine assists.
• Toronto Raptors 99, Memphis Grizzlies 95: DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, Terrence Ross had all 12 of his in the fourth quarter on four triples, and the visiting Raptors (51-24) handed the Grizzlies (41-35) a fifth straight loss.
• Miami Heat 112, Sacramento Kings 106: Gerald Green poured in 30 points, Luol Deng drilled a key triple with 45.7 seconds left, and the visiting Heat (44-31) eliminated the Kings (30-46) from the post-season for the 10th straight year.  
• Charlotte Hornets 100, Philadelphia 76ers 91: Walker had 27 points with 11 rebounds, and the host Hornets (44-31) moved a step closer to clinching a playoff berth after sending the league-worst 76ers (9-67) to an 11th straight loss.
• Dallas Mavericks 98, Detroit Pistons 89: Puerto Rico’s JJ Barea scored 29 points and the visiting Mavericks (38-38) stopped the Pistons to remain tied with Utah for the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoff scramble. Marcus Morris had a season-high 29 points for Detroit (40-36), which leads Indiana by a half-game for the seventh playoff spot in the East.
• Utah Jazz 98, Minnesota Timberwolves 85: Gordon Hayward scored 22 points, Trey Lyles added 18, and the Jazz (38-38) trimmed the visiting T-Wolves, to remain deadlocked with Dallas for the seventh playoff spot in the West. Andrew Wiggins paced lottery-bound Minnesota (25-51) with 24 points.
• New York Knicks 105, Brooklyn Nets 91: Langston Galloway scored 14 of his 18 points in the final quarter, sparking the Knicks (31-46) over the visiting Nets (21-55).
• Milwaukee Bucks 113, Orlando Magic 110: Jabari Parker scored 26 points, including the go-ahead driving hook shot with 11 seconds remaining, and the Bucks (32-44) stopped the visiting Magic’s three-game winning streak Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double for the Bucks (32-44) with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Nicola Vucevic paced the Magic (32-44) with 22 points.
• Washington Wizards 106, Phoenix Suns 99: John Wall had 22 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, Markieff Morris netted 21 against his former team, and the visiting Wizards (37-39) topped the Suns.
Mirza Teletovic had  24 points and 12 rebounds in the Suns’ (20-56) fifth straight loss.