Bulls’ loss to Nets hurts playoff hopes
NEW YORK — Dwyane Wade returned but the Chicago Bulls suffered a potentially costly loss when the Brooklyn Nets beat them 107-106 on Saturday. Spencer Dinwiddie made four free throws in the final 13.6 seconds for the Nets in their home finale. He scored 19 points, as did rookie Caris LeVert.
Jimmy Butler scored 33 points for the Bulls, who fell into a tie with Miami for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
Wade started and played 25 minutes, scoring 14 points. He had been expected to miss the remainder of the regular season when he sprained his right elbow March 15.
But the Bulls allowed 32 points in the fourth quarter, with Dinwiddie snapping a 103-all with two free throws with 13.6 seconds to play. Butler missed a jumper and Dinwiddie put it away with another pair with 2.4 to play.
CELTICS 121, HORNETS 114
In Charlotte, N.C., Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points, and Boston remained in contention for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a victory over the Hornets.
Al Horford added 16 points and Kelly Olynyk had 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season as the Celtics swept the four-game series and pulled within a half-game of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers (51-28) have road games remaining against Atlanta and Miami before closing at home against Toronto. The Celtics (51-29) have two home games left, against Brooklyn and Milwaukee.
Nicolas Batum had 31 points and Kemba Walker added 23 for the Hornets, who were eliminated from postseason contention.
Boston led by as many as 19 in the second half, but the Hornets battled back to take a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter before Thomas took over.
CLIPPERS 98, SPURS 87
In San Antonio, Chris Paul had 19 points and Los Angeles beat the Spurs for its fifth straight victory.
DeAndre Jordan added 17 points and 17 rebounds to help Los Angeles preserve its hopes of hosting a first-round playoff series.
Doc Rivers tied Mike Dunleavy for the Clippers franchise record with his 215th regular-season victory.
Kawhi Leonard had 28 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points for San Antonio. The Spurs closed out their home schedule with just their 10th loss at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio is playing out the regular season after securing the No. 2 seed and first-round matchup against seventh-seeded Memphis.
HEAT 106, WIZARDS 103
In Washington, Hassan Whiteside scored 30 points and James Johnson hit a layup with 11 seconds left to give Miami a victory over the Wizards.
Johnson beat Markieff Morris to the basket for the go-ahead basket, Kelly Oubre Jr. threw away the inbounds pass and Josh Richardson made two free throws to seal it as the Heat moved into a tie for eighth in the Eastern Conference. The Chicago Bulls, who lost to the Brooklyn Nets earlier, own the tiebreaker.
The Wizards had no answer inside for Whiteside, who was 12 of 19 from the floor and grabbed 12 rebounds. His 30 points were two short of a career high.
After missing his first four shots, Goran Dragic finished with 18 points, and Tyler Johnson scored 19 with four 3-pointers.
BUCKS 90, 76ERS 82
In Philadelphia, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Milwaukee beat the 76ers to clinch a playoff berth.
The Bucks, who snapped a three-game losing streak, began the night needing a victory and a loss by either Chicago, Indiana or Miami to secure their second postseason berth in three years. The Bulls lost 107-106 to Brooklyn.
Antetokounmpo scored eight points in the third quarter, when the Bucks (41-39) outscored the Sixers 25-12 to take command.
Greg Monroe added 17 points off the bench for Milwaukee, which limited Philadelphia to 35 percent shooting, including 25.8 percent from 3-point range.
Matthew Dellavedova contributed 14 points for the Bucks.
The Sixers, who dropped their sixth straight, shot 22 percent from the floor in the third quarter (4 of 18) and 29.7 percent in the second half (11 of 37).
PACERS 127, MAGIC 112
In Orlando, Fla., the Pacers are surging at just the right time.
Paul George scored 37 points, Myles Turner had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and the Pacers beat the Magic.
The Pacers pulled a game ahead of Chicago and Miami for seventh place in the Eastern Conference and climbed back to .500 with their third straight victory.
“This was huge,” George said. “We’re going in the right direction, beating who we’re supposed to beat and playing some of our best basketball all season. This really feels good.”
Indiana has won by an average margin of 16 points during the streak, while cutting its magic number for clinching a playoff berth to two. Thaddeus Young scored 14 points and Kevin Seraphin and CJ Miles had 11 apiece for Indiana.
Indiana toyed with Orlando most of the game, getting layup after layup against a Magic team unable to guard the basket. The Pacers’ starting frontcourt of George, Turner and Young were a combined 20 of 24 in the first half when Indiana built a 68-59 lead. The trio finished the game 31 of 43 (72.1 percent) from the field.
When the Magic defense adjusted in the second half, Indiana hit 8 of 13 3-pointers, most of them wide-open shots.
“We know we’re in a situation where we have to win games and we’re responding,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. “We were able to execute offensively and we continued to elevate our game each quarter, which is what you need to do this time of year.”