Celtics earn playoff home-court advantage
BOSTON — Gerald Green scored 18 points, 10 of them in a 25-2 fourth-quarter run, and the Boston Celtics beat the resting Milwaukee Bucks 112-94 in the regular-season finale on Wednesday night to claim the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Celtics were assured of homecourt advantage through the conference finals when Cleveland lost to Toronto minutes before the game ended.
• Raptors 98, Cavaliers 93 — At Cleveland: Jonas Valanciunas made his first career 3-pointer and the Toronto Raptors closed the regular season with a win over the Cavaliers, who didn’t play their “Big 3” All-Stars so they’re playoff ready.
Norman Powell scored 25 points as the Raptors beat the Cavs for the first time in four tries this season and gave the defending champions something to think about if they meet in the postseason. Cleveland took Toronto down in six games in last year’s Eastern Conference finals.
• Bulls 112, Nets 73 — At Chicago: Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, and the Bulls beat the depleted Nets in the regular-season finale to clinch an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Paul Zipser added a career-high 21 points off the bench as Chicago took advantage of a short-handed Brooklyn lineup to secure its first playoff appearance under coach Fred Hoiberg.
• Heat 110, Wizards 102 — At Miami: Goran Dragic scored 28 points, Hassan Whiteside added 24 points and 18 rebounds, and the Heat defeated the Wizards while being eliminated from the NBA playoffs.
Miami needed a win, and either a loss by Indiana or Chicago, to reach the postseason. But Indiana downed Atlanta to clinch the No. 7 seed, and Chicago topped Brooklyn to grab the No. 8 spot.
• Pacers 104, Hawks 86 — At Indianapolis: Paul George finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds, Jeff Teague added 19 points and the Pacers clinched a playoff spot, beating Atlanta.
The Pacers completed the regular season on a five-game winning streak to earn the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed. They will face Cleveland in the opening round.
• Knicks 114, 76ers 113 — Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points after deciding to play in what could be his final game with the Knicks, and New York beat the 76ers.
Anthony had missed the previous two games with a sore left knee and wasn’t expected to play Wednesday, but told Jeff Hornacek he wanted to go. He played 23 minutes, sitting out the final quarter while a couple of “We want Melo! We want Melo!” chants broke out.
• Rockets 123, Timberwolves 118 — At Houston: James Harden had his 22nd triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to help the Rockets wrap up the regular season with a victory over the Timberwolves.
The MVP contender became the first player in NBA history to finish the regular season with at least 2,000 points (2,356), 900 assists (907) and 600 rebounds (659).
• Mavericks 100, Grizzlies 93 — At Memphis, Tenn.: Nicolas Brussino and Devin Harris each scored 15 points and the Mavericks snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory over the Grizzlies.
The Mavericks won despite leaving starters Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews at home. Reserve guard J.J. Barea, averaging 10.9 points, also remained in Dallas as coach Rick Carlisle opted to use his younger players in the regular-season finale.
• Nuggets 111, Thunder 105 — At Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook got an MVP endorsement from Oscar Robertson before the game. The Thunder guard only played the first half of Oklahoma City’s loss to Denver.
Westbrook broke Robertson’s singleseason record for triple-doubles by getting his 42nd on Sunday against Denver. Robertson endorsed Westbrook for the Most Valuable Player award during a pregame ceremony on Wednesday.
• Magic 113, Pistons 109 — At Orlando, Fla.: Aaron Gordon had 32 points and 12 rebounds, Elfrid Payton scored 21 points and the Magic overcame a late-run by Detroit to win their season-finale.
• Jazz 101, Spurs 97 — At Salt Lake City: Gordon Hayward scored 14 and the Utah Jazz held on for a 101-97 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
• Pelicans 103, Trail Blazers 100 — At Portland, Ore.: Jordan Crawford had 15 points and the Pelicans snapped a fivegame losing streak with a victory over the playoff-bound Trail Blazers.
Cheick Diallo had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Pelicans, who finished 3448 and out of the playoffs for the second straight season.