Thunder tighten their grip on berth

The Oklahoma City Thunder tightened their grip on the NBA’s final Western Conference play-in berth with a 114-98 victory over the Utah Jazz, edging a half-game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points to lead seven Oklahoma City players in double figures as the Thunder snapped a three-game losing streak.

Josh Giddey added 17 points, eight assists and eight rebounds and Aaron Wiggins scored 15 off the bench as Oklahoma City’s reserves delivered 50 points.

Now, even if the Mavs win their last two games, the Thunder can clinch 10th place – and the final spot for the play-in tournament for the sevenththrough 10th-placed teams – if they beat Memphis at the weekend.

Elsewhere, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro scored 24 points apiece to lead Miami to a 129-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers that kept alive the Heat’s hopes of avoiding the play-in altogether.

With two games left, the Heat still have a chance to grab sixth place in the Eastern Conference from the Brooklyn Nets, although the Nets can lock up the spot with a win in either of their last two games.

Butler scored 14 of his 24 points in the third quarter and also handed out six assists before taking a seat in the fourth period. Herro, who had five of the Heat’s 18 three-pointers, said the Heat were more focused on finding consistency than avoiding the play-in.

“It’s just being consistent for us,” he said. “No matter what, coming in with the same energy wherever we are.”

In Orlando, Danny Green scored 21 points and Cedi Osman added 19 for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 118-94 victory over the Magic. In Phoenix, the Suns had all they could handle from a Denver line-up made up of reserves, pulling away late for a 119-115 victory – their seventh in a row.