Celtics rout Thunder, clinch top overall seed
Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots to help the Boston Celtics clinch the No. 1 overall seed and secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 135-100 at home on Wednesday night.
Porzingis, who was 11 of 14 from the field, has scored at least 17 points in each of his past 13 games.
Jayson Tatum added 24 points and Jaylen Brown added 23 for Boston (6016).
The Celtics led by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, but were up 118-90 after Jrue Holiday capped a 13-0 run by making a layup with 6:06 to play. The Celtics outscored the Thunder 42-17 in the fourth.
Josh Giddey scored a team-high 17 points for the Thunder. Luguentz Dort was next with 15, Cason Wallace added 12 and Chet Holmgren finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Hawks 121, Pistons 113
Jalen Johnson recorded the first triple-double of his career and Atlanta clinched a spot in the play-in tournament with a win over visiting Detroit.
Johnson scored a career-high-tying 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting while grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out a career-high 11 assists. It is the first triple-double by an Atlanta player this season. Johnson also had four steals and one block.
Dejounte Murray was the last Hawk to record a triple-double, doing so on Nov. 5, 2022.
The Pistons (13-63) stayed close because of a 50-point performance by Malachi Flynn. He was 18-for-25 from the field, hitting five 3-pointers, and set a franchise record for most points scored by a reserve.
Nets 115, Pacers 111
Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 27 points as the Nets defeated visiting Indiana.
Jalen Wilson sank two free throws with seven seconds remaining to seal the victory after Tyrese Haliburton hit a 3-pointer to keep the Pacers in the game.
There were four lead changes and two ties during the tightly contested fourth quarter, with neither team leading by more than six points during the frame.
Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges hit a crucial 3-pointer after collecting an offensive rebound to tie the game at 108 with 1:23 remaining. Bridges drew a charge on the other end, and Dennis Schroder followed up with a layup for a 110-108 lead.
Timberwolves 133, Raptors 85
Anthony Edwards had 28 points and six assists, and Minnesota pulled away for a win over visiting Toronto.
Naz Reid added 23 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota (53-23), which won its second game in as many nights. Rudy Gobert finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick and Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 16 points apiece to lead Toronto (23-53), which lost its 15th game in a row. The Raptors are two losses from tying their franchise record of 17 consecutive defeats during the 1997-98 season.
Minnesota outscored Toronto in all four quarters.
Lakers 125, Wizards 120
Anthony Davis had 35 points to go along with 18 rebounds and all five Los Angeles starters scored in double figures as the Lakers capped a 5-1 road trip with a victory over Washington.
Reserves only accounted for 12 of Los Angeles’ points, with LeBron James supplying 25 points, Rui Hachimura posting 19 on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor and D’Angelo Russell adding 18. Austin Reaves rounded out the starting five with 16 points.
James also had seven rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers (44-33).
The starters’ contributions gave Los Angeles its eighth win in the past nine games while comfortably keeping the Lakers in a Western Conference play-in spot.
Trail Blazers 89, Hornets 86
Deandre Ayton’s 24 points and Scoot Henderson’s 22 points helped visiting Portland beat Charlotte to snap a 10game losing streak.
Jabari Walker had 14 points and Dalano Banton added 12 points for The Trail Blazers (20-56).
After Henerson missed two free throws with 18.1 seconds left, the Hornets had a chance to take the lead but Brandon Miller missed on a drive in the waning seconds. Walker made two free throws for the game’s final points.
Earlier in the day, Steve Clifford said he will be stepping down as Hornets coach at the end of the season and will transition to a front office role with the organization.
Grizzlies 111, Bucks 101
Jaren Jackson Jr. put up 35 points to lead the Memphis Grizzles to a 111-101 victory against the host Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
GG Jackson added 15 points and 12 boards for the Grizzlies (26-50), who completed a sweep of the two-game season series with the Bucks. Jordan Goodwin contributed 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Brook Lopez led Milwaukee (47-29) with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points on 10of-23 shooting from the floor. He also had seven rebounds and eight assists as the Bucks played without Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Patrick Beverley.
Memphis set the tone in the first quarter, taking a 26-22 edge into the second after getting eight points from Jaren Jackson.
Magic 117, Pelicans 108
Paolo Banchero led the way with 32 points, Wendell Carter Jr. was the game’s top rebounder as part of a double-double and Orlando scored a key victory in its battle for playoff position with a triumph over host New Orleans.
The Wagner brothers combined for 42 points – Franz with 24 in a starting role and Moe with 18 off the bench – for the Magic (45-31), who won a third straight to move a half-game ahead of the idle New York Knicks (44-31) in their battle for the No. 4 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
CJ McCollum had a season-high 36 points for the Pelicans (45-31), who dropped a third in a row and into the sixth slot in the West.
Suns 122, Cavaliers 101
Devin Booker recorded 40 points and eight assists and Kevin Durant added 32 points, seven assists and six rebounds as Phoenix cruised to a victory over visiting Cleveland.
Royce O’Neale had 17 points and Bol Bol scored 15 points off the bench as the Suns (45-31) moved into the sixth and last automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference. Phoenix is tied with New Orleans but holds the tiebreaker edge after beating the Pelicans on Monday.
Booker has scored 92 points on 32of-53 shooting over the past two games. He poured in 52 points against New Orleans. Booker and O’Neale each made five 3-pointers Wednesday as the Suns won for the 10th time in their past 15 games.
Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points, Evan Mobley had 20 points and nine rebounds and Jarrett Allen also scored 20 points for the Cavaliers (46-31), who have dropped six of their past nine.