Sixth-seeded Heat to face No. 3 Bucks in 1st round of playoffs
First up for the Miami Heat this postseason? A playoff rematch against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The New York Knicks’ win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon locked the Heat — who beat Detroit 120-107 Sunday night — into sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Then the Brooklyn Nets clinched the No. 2 seed with their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As a result, the sixthseeded Heat will open the playoffs with a first-round matchup against two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the third-seeded Bucks. The best-of-7 series will begin either Saturday or Sunday at Fiserv Forum, with the schedule yet to be released.
The series will move to AmericanAirlines Arena for Games 3 and 4. If necessary, Games 5 and 7 will be played at Fiserv Forum and Game 6 will take place at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat and Bucks also faced off in the playoffs last season, with then-fifthseeded Miami upsetting the top-seeded Milwaukee in the econd-round.
The Heat finished with a 1-2 record against the
Bucks this season, but Jimmy Butler didn’t play
in any of those games.
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Knicks 96, Celtics 92:
Julius Randle capped his All-Star season with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as host New York beat Boston to take the No. 4 seed in the East.
RJ Barrett scored 22 points for the Knicks. They won their third straight to finish 41-31 and set up a first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks are headed to the playoffs for the first time since winning the Atlantic Division title in 2012-13.
The Celtics were locked into the play-in tournament at the No. 7 spot and rested all their top players. They will face Washington.
Warriors 113, Grizzlies 101: Stephen Curry became the oldest scoring champion since Michael Jordan at age 35, finishing with 46 points as hostGolden State held off Memphis in a regularseason finale that determined the play-in tournament’s eighth and ninth spots. The Warriors wrapped up the No. 8 seed and
will play Wednesday, while Memphis finishes at No. 9.
At 33, Curry and Jordan are the only scoring champions age 33 or older. Curry also joins Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar as the only players with multiple scoring titles, MVPs and championships.
76ers 128, Magic 117: Tyrese Maxey had 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia beat visiting Orlando.
Nets 123, Cavaliers 109: Kevin Durant had 23 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds and host Brooklyn beat Cleveland to take the No. 2 seed in the East.
Wizards 115, Hornets 110: Bradley Beal scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half and host Washington rallied to beat Charlotte
to finish eighth in the Eastern Conference.
Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for Washington for his 184th career tripledouble — three more than
Oscar Robertson’s previous NBA record — and 38th this season alone.
Pacers 125, Raptors 113: Oshae Brissett scored a career-best 31 points,
Domantas Sabonis added 25 points, 16 rebounds and three steals, and Indiana beat Toronto at Tampa to lock up the Eastern Conference’s ninth seed.
Suns 123, Spurs 121:
E’Twaun Moore scored 22 points and made a
SUNDAY
Miami 120, Detroit 107
Indiana 125, Toronto 113
New York 96, Boston 92 Washington 115, Charlotte 110 Phoenix 123, San Antonio 121 Golden State 113, Memphis 101 Brooklyn 123, Cleveland 109 Atlanta 124, Houston 95 Philadelphia 128, Orlando 117 Dallas at Minnesota, late
Denver at Portland, late
L.A. Clippers at Oklahoma City, late L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, late Milwaukee at Chicago, late
Utah at Sacramento, late three-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining to lift Phoenix at San Antonio to keep alive their chances at the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA. Utah could secure the top seed in the West with a win over Sacramento, but the Suns would get the top seed if the Jazz lose because Phoenix swept the season series.
Hawks 124, Rockets 95: Rookie Onyeka Okongwu set career highs with 21 points and 14 rebounds and host Atlanta beat Houston.