Thomas leads Celtics past Hornets
Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points, and the Boston Celtics remained in contention for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 121-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
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 (5128) 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.
Boston led by as many as 19 in the second half, but the Hornets battled back to take a sevenpoint lead midway through the fourth quarter before Thomas took over.
Thomas, who averaged 29.2 points in four games this season against the Hornets, led the Celtics back by scoring on a drive and left-handed layup with 2:13 remaining to put his team up 111-109. He added two free throws and knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key coming off a screen to push the lead to six. Thomas then passed up an open shot and dished to Avery Bradley for a backbreaker 3-pointer to seal the win.
The Celtics built a 71-54 lead at halftime after shooting 63 percent from the field, including 11 of 21 from beyond the 3-point arc. Thomas had 19 in the opening half, including four 3-pointers as the Hornets continued to struggle with their perimeter defense.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford was ejected from the team’s final home game with 1:09 left in the second quarter after disputing a call. It marked the first time the mild-mannered Clifford has been ejected from a game in his four seasons with Charlotte.
BULLS 107, NETS 106: Dwyane Wade returned but the Chicago Bulls sustained a potentially costly loss when the Brooklyn Nets beat them. 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 came in tied for seventh 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 and fractured his right elbow on 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. Wade was supposed to be limited to about 20 minutes and exited the game with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter and the Bulls leading 94-88. Nikola Mirotic’s three-point play with 4:24 remaining increased the lead to 97-88 before Brooklyn stormed back to go with a 10-0 run with the three-time NBA champion on the bench.
PACERS 127, MAGIC 112: Paul George scored 37 points and Myles Turner added 23 points and 10 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers move a step closer to a playoff berth with a victory over the Orlando Magic. The Pacers pulled a game ahead of Chicago for seventh place in the Eastern Conference and climbed back to .500 with their third straight victory. Terrence Ross had 29 points for the Magic, while Evan Fournier had 23 and Aaron Gordon added 17. Orlando has lost six of its last seven. Elfrid Payton had 10 points and 10 assists, but Orlando’s perimeter game was no match for the Pacers’ strength around the basket.