Kings are on course, Pacers upset Bucks
LOS ANGELES: The Sacramento Kings ensured their first winning season in 17 years with a 101-96 win at the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA on Thursday.
The Kings now have a 42-27 record, are second in the Western Conference and are on course for their first postseason appearance since 2006.
Domantas Sabonis had 24 points and 21 rebounds on a night when Sacramento’s defence delivered.
The Kings allowed the Nets zero fast break points and no second-chance points as they frustrated a Nets team that are now just a game and a half ahead of the seventh place Miami Heat in the East. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said his counterpart Mike Brown had done a remarkable job to turn around the franchise.
“I told him that he had my vote for coach of the year. He has done a heck of a job getting those dudes to the playoffs, 40 wins,” Vaughn said.
The Indiana Pacers boosted their chances of making the play-in for the postseason with a 139-123 upset win at Eastern Conference leaders Milwaukee.
Andrew Nembard scored 24 points while Aaron Nesmith had 22, and Indiana had eight players make double figures.
The Pacers outscored the Bucks 49-37 in the third and 35-22 in the fourth, and although Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 25 points, the All-Star captain was left frustrated.
The Western Conference leaders, the Denver Nuggets, snapped a four-game losing streak in emphatic fashion, beating the Detroit Pistons 119-100.
The win ensured that Denver clinched the Northwest Division and their play-off spot.
Nikolas Jokic top-scored with 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Denver.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was delighted his team had finally returned to winning ways. “It was great. We talked about getting back to our brand of basketball and that is always going to start and end with defence,” he said.