CJ McCollum scored 25 of his game-high 29 points in the first half and Dyson Daniels collected 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists as the Atlanta Hawks clinched a playoff spot with a 124-102 rout of the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
Jalen Johnson had 18 points and nine rebounds and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 for the Hawks (46-35), who will finish either fifth or sixth in the Eastern Conference. Southeast Division champion Atlanta missed the playoffs in the last two seasons.
Daniels posted his second career triple-double and McCollum drained 6-of-8 3-point attempts. The Hawks built a 92-59 lead in the third quarter, when Alexander-Walker and Johnson each had 11 points to deliver the knockout blow.
James Harden scored 20 points and dished out five assists, and Tyrese Proctor had 15 points in the final quarter for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers (51-30). Cleveland will have home-court advantage in the first round against either Atlanta or the Toronto Raptors.
Lakers 101, Suns 73
LeBron James scored 28 points and dished 12 assists to become the fourth player in NBA history to top 12,000 in a career, leading Los Angeles to a convincing victory over visiting Phoenix.
Luke Kennard added 19 points in the victory that assured Los Angeles will finish no lower than fourth place in the Western Conference and have homecourt advantage in a first-round playoff series. The Lakers remain one game behind the third-place Denver Nuggets with one game to play, and Los Angeles owns the tiebreaker edge.
Dillon Brooks scored 12 points and reserve Royce O’Neale added 11 for the Suns, who were without star Devin Booker (ankle). Phoenix scored just 25 second-half points in a contest that meant nothing after it previously locked up the No. 7 spot in the West and a home play-in game. Grayson Allen exited in the second quarter due to a left hamstring injury and didn’t return.
76ers 105, Pacers 94
Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points, Andre Drummond posted a double-double off the bench, and Philadelphia assured itself of finishing no worse than eighth in the Eastern Conference after beating Indiana in Indianapolis.
With Joel Embiid out due to appendicitis, Drummond produced 10 points and 16 rebounds. The 76ers ended a three-game skid and stayed alive in the chase for the East’s sixth and final automatic playoff berth.
Jarace Walker’s 17 points led the Pacers, who have lost four of the past five. Micah Potter finished 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Pistons 118, Hornets 100
Jalen Duren scored 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field and Detroit rode a strong stretch early in the fourth quarter to a win over host Charlotte.
Duncan Robinson racked up 19 points, Cade Cunningham had 14 points, Ronald Holland II posted 13 points and Ausar Thompson added 12 points for the Pistons, who have won five of their past six games. Detroit had already locked up first place in the Eastern Conference. The outcome means the Hornets will be in the East’s play-in tournament.
The loss eliminated any chance that they could advance directly to the playoff bracket. LaMelo Ball’s 27 points, including six 3-point baskets, led the Hornets, while Brandon Miller had 22 points. Coby White, after missing the team’s Tuesday game night because of groin soreness, scored 11 points off the bench.
Bucks 125, Nets 108
AJ Green scored a career-high 35 points to lead Milwaukee to a victory over visiting Brooklyn in Milwaukee’s final home game of the season.
Milwaukee snapped a two-game skid as Green also became just the third Buck ever to make 10 or more 3-pointers in a game (11-for-16). Cormac Ryan added 28 while Taurean Prince scored 18 with 10 rebounds. Jericho Sims posted a double-double off the bench with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Tyson Etienne led Brooklyn with 23 points. Malachi Smith nearly contributed a triple-double with 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. The Nets only played seven players and each contributed double figures. Reserve Nolan Traore scored 14 points in just over 16 minutes of action.
Nuggets 127, Thunder 107
Jonas Valanciunas amassed 23 points and 17 rebounds, both season highs, and Julian Strawther added 22 points as host Denver beat Oklahoma City in a matchup of benches.
Denver clinched at least the fourth seed in the Western Conference with its 11th straight win. The Nuggets can still capture the No. 3 seed with a win Sunday in San Antonio or a Los Angeles Lakers’ loss. Denver rested its entire starting five and Spencer Jones and Peyton Watson, both of whom have been sidelined with hamstring strains.
Oklahoma City has secured the top overall seed. The only starter dressed for either team was Thunder guard Luguentz Dort, who was required to play at least 20 minutes in each of the final two games to qualify for postseason awards, according to coach Mark Daigneault.
Jazz 147, Grizzlies 101
Rookie Blake Hinson scored a career-high 30 points and two Utah reserves logged triple-doubles, helping the Jazz snap a 10-game losing streak with a demolition of Memphis in Salt Lake City.
Rookie Bez Mbeng logged 27 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds and three steals for his first triple-double. John Konchar registered a triple-double for a second straight game, finishing with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals. Kennedy Chandler added 26 points and 10 assists to help the Jazz get in the win column for only the second time in 16 games.
Dariq Whitehead led Memphis with a career-best 21 points. Rookie Toby Okani had a career-high 20 points and Adama Bal added 18 for the Grizzlies, who used just six players while losing their seventh straight game.
Kings 124, Warriors 118
Devin Carter set career highs with six 3-pointers, 29 points and nine rebounds as Sacramento beat visiting Golden State.
Carter shot 11-for-18 from the floor and 6-for-11 from 3-point range for Sacramento, which avenged a 110-105 loss to the Warriors on Tuesday in San Francisco. Maxime Raynaud scored 23 points, Nique Clifford and Daeqwon Plowden scored 20 apiece, and Malik Monk added 11.
Brandin Podziemski led Golden State with a career-high 30 points and De’Anthony Melton added 17. The Warriors lost for the sixth time in their past seven games, and they will compete in the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West.
Heat 140, Wizards 117
Simone Fontecchio and Pelle Larsson scored 24 points each as Miami snapped a two-game losing streak, crushing host Washington.
Bam Adebayo added 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Heat, who are locked into a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Adebayo scored a franchise-record 83 points against Washington on March 10. Miami completed a 4-0 season sweep of Washington. The Heat, however, have just four wins over the past 14 games. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 23 points for the Heat, and Kasparas Jakucionis had 16.
Bub Carrington led Washington with 30 points, matching his season high. Bilal Coulibaly added 25 points and five assists and Will Riley scored 16 points for the Wizards, who have the NBA’s worst record as they fell for the 25th time in 26 games.
Knicks 112, Raptors 95
Jalen Brunson scored 14 of his game-high 29 points in the third quarter as New York clinched the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a victory over visiting Toronto.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 10 rebounds while Mikal Bridges logged 13 points for New York, which has won seven straight home games and five games in a row overall. The Knicks have a 30-9 home mark this season.
Sandro Mamukelashvili produced 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Toronto, which fell into a tie with the Orlando Magic for the sixth and final automatic playoff spot in the East. The Raptors hold the tiebreaker edge. Brandon Ingram had 16 points and six assists for the Raptors. Ja’Kobe Walter went 4 of 7 from beyond the arc en route to 15 points.
Trail Blazers 116, Clippers 97
Deni Avdija scored 15 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and helped fuel a crucial run as Portland powered past visiting Los Angeles.
The teams are now tied with 41-40 records and one game to go, but the Trail Blazers own the tiebreaker, which would leave them eighth in the Western Conference. Donovan Clingan added 18 points and 13 rebounds for Portland.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points and eight rebounds. Brook Lopez knocked down five 3-pointers on the way to 21 points.
Magic 127, Bulls 103
Franz Wagner scored 25 points and Jamal Cain added 20 as visiting Orlando stretched its winning streak to five games with a victory against Chicago.
Orlando remained alive for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference — which would allow the Magic to avoid the play-in tournament — with one game remaining in the regular season. Goga Bitadze posted a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Magic. Paolo Banchero scored 14 points to go with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Chicago suffered its eighth loss in 10 games despite 23 points from Tre Jones. The Bulls have lost 50 games for the first time since 2018-19. Matas Buzelis had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls before leaving in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle.
Spurs 139, Mavericks 120
Victor Wembanyama showed that he is playoff ready after an injury by amassing 40 points and 13 rebounds as host San Antonio pummeled Dallas.
Wembanyama, back after missing a game and a half with a left rib contusion, reached the 65-game requirement for league postseason awards. De’Aaron Fox added 18 points and 10 assists for the Spurs, who have won 14 of their past 15 games.
Cooper Flagg put up 33 points and Max Christie had 16 for the Mavericks, who have lost three in a row.
Celtics 144, Pelicans 118
Boston tied an NBA record by making 29 3-point field goals and secured the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating visiting New Orleans.
Boston took 59 3-point shots but didn’t put up a shot on its final possession. The record for made 3-pointers in a game is also shared by the 2020 Milwaukee Bucks, the 2024 Celtics and the 2026 Memphis Grizzlies.
The Celtics received 24 points from Sam Hauser, who was 8 of 12 from 3-point territory. Jaylen Brown scored 23 and Payton Pritchard finished with 21 points and 10 assists. Jeremiah Fears led New Orleans with 36.
Timberwolves 136, Rockets 132
Donte DiVincenzo scored 11 of his 18 points to spark a fourth-quarter rally, and Terrence Shannon Jr. chipped in 23 points off the bench as short-handed Minnesota snapped host Houston’s eight-game winning streak.
Anthony Edwards scored 22 points in his return after missing 10 of the previous 12 games. The Timberwolves, playing without starters Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert and sixth man Naz Reid, shot 57.3% from the floor, including 15 of 30 from behind the arc.
Amen Thompson scored a career-high 41 points to pace the Rockets and added nine rebounds and seven assists. Kevin Durant posted 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Alperen Sengun totaled 22 points and eight assists.
–Field Level Media
