Celtics rout hobbled Thunder to clinch league’s best record
Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, helping host Boston power past Oklahoma City 135-100 on Wednesday to secure the NBA’S best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and Jaylen Brown 23 for the Celtics (60-16), who trailed for only 62 seconds in their 11th straight home win.
The Thunder, who missed 19 of 24 3-point tries, were without their top two scorers. Shai Gilgeous-alexander (30.3 ppg) sat for the fourth time in five games because of a right quadriceps contusion. Jalen Williams (19.5 ppg) missed a second straight game with a left ankle sprain.
■ Hawks 121, Pistons 113: At Atlanta, Jalen Johnson had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for Atlanta, which won for the sixth time in seven games and clinched a play-in tournament berth. Malachi Flynn scored a careerhigh 50 points, setting a Detroit record for a reserve. The San Diego State product’s previous high was 27.
■ Timberwolves 133, Raptors 85: At Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards scored 28 points for Minnesota, which won for the sixth time in seven games and tied Denver atop the West, one game ahead of Oklahoma City. Toronto lost its 15th straight.
■ Grizzlies 111, Bucks 101: At Milwaukee, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 of his 35 points in the second half for Memphis in its fifth straight win over Milwaukee. Brook Lopez had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks in their fourth loss in five games.
■ Trail Blazers 89, Hornets 86: At Charlotte, N.C., Scoot Henderson had 22 points and 10 assists for Portland, which held a 55-36 edge in rebounds and halted an 11-game slide. Charlotte missed 26 of 31 3-point tries in its ninth loss in 10 games.
■ Nets 115, Pacers 111: At New York, Cam Thomas scored 27 points for Brooklyn, which overcame a 14-point first-half deficit in its fourth win in six games. The Nets were ousted from playoff contention with Atlanta’s win over Detroit.
■ Lakers 125, Wizards 120: At Washington, Anthony Davis scored 19 of his 35 points in the first quarter and had 18 rebounds for Los Angeles, which won for the eighth time in nine games. Davis hit 15 free throws without a miss.
■ Magic 117, Pelicans 108: At New Orleans, Paolo Banchero scored 32 points for Orlando, which shot 51.3 percent in its third straight win. C.J. Mccollum had 36 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans in its third loss in a row.
■ Suns 122, Cavaliers 101: At Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 40 points and Kevin Durant 32 for Phoenix, which led 72-47 at halftime of its third win in four games.