NEW YORK — LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller each scored 19 points, Kon Knueppel made three 3-pointers in his record-setting rookie season and Charlotte Hornets beat New York to clinch the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Coby White also had 19 points for the Hornets, who will host No. 10 Miami on Tuesday in the play-in tournament. Charlotte will have to win that game and then go on the road Friday and beat the loser of the game between No. 7 Philadelphia and No. 8 Orlando to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
With the Knicks locked into the No. 3 seed in the East, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby all sat. Mikal Bridges was the only starter to play for the Knicks, going the opening 23 seconds to extend his consecutive games played streak to 638, eighth-longest in NBA history. He then committed a foul to check out of the game.
The Knicks will face No. 6 seed Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs. Deuce McBride scored 21 points and Jose Alvarado had 16 as New York finished 53-29.
CELTICS 113, MAGIC 108
BOSTON — Baylor Scheierman scored a career-high 30 points, Luka Garza added 27, including a key 3-pointer with 31.6 seconds left, and the Boston Celtics’ reserves defeated Orlando 113-108 on Sunday night, sending the Magic into a road play-in tournament game.
Ron Harper Jr. had a career-best 27 points for Boston, and Garza grabbed 12 rebounds.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 23 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and Jalen Suggs scored 23 points.
The Magic (45-37) had won five straight and seemed ready to lock up a home game as the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed before the loss. They entered tied with Toronto for sixth, but fell to eighth and will face Philadelphia.
Boston sat eight of its regular rotation players, including stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
CAVALIERS 130, WIZARDS 117
CLEVELAND — Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored a career-high 26 points and Cleveland led wire-to-wire, defeating Washington in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Rookie Jaylon Tyson was two assists shy of a triple double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Cavaliers rested most of their key players because they were locked into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Max Strus — who missed the first 67 games due to a broken left foot — played 18 minutes in the first half and had 10 points and five rebounds.
The Cavaliers (52-30)— who will face Toronto in the first round — have won 11 of their last 14 games and are 35-14 since Dec. 29. They have 15 straight wins over Washington, the second-longest winning streak against any team in franchise history.
Washington’s Jamir Watkins had a career-high 24 points, while Sharife Cooper and Bub Carrington scored 20 apiece. Carrington is the first NBA player since Karl Anthony Towns in 2016-17 to appear in all 82 games in each of his first two seasons.
PISTONS 133, PACERS 121
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul Reed finished with 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks and Tobias Harris scored 24 points in limited minutes Sunday, propelling Eastern Conference’s top seeded Detroit past Indiana.
Reed was 11 of 11 from the field and made all four of his free-throw attempts on a night the Pistons shot nearly 70% from the field and from 3-point range in the first half. Harris was 9 of 12 from the field and 4 of 4 on 3s. Cade Cunningham flirted with a triple-double in the first half before finishing with seven points, eight rebounds and 14 assists.
The Pistons have won three straight and six of seven and posted their highest first-half scoring total of the season with 81 points. Detroit earned its 60th victory for the third time in franchise history and the first time since 2005-06.
Obi Toppin and Quenton Jackson each scored 21 points to lead the Pacers, who closed the season with 19 wins — the lowest total in the franchise’s NBA history.
HEAT 143, HAWKS 117
MIAMI — Jaime Jaquez Jr. capped his sixth-man award candidacy by scoring 26 points off the bench, Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell each scored 25 and Miami tuned up for the play-in tournament by beating Atlanta.
Kel’el Ware scored 16 points for Miami, which will need to win two road play-in games to make the playoffs. The Heat pulled off that feat as the No. 10 seed entering the play-in last season.
Buddy Hield scored a game-high 31 points in just 21 minutes off the bench for Atlanta, which had a playoff spot locked up going into the game. Corey Kispert scored 21 and Asa Newell finished with 17 for the Hawks.
Miami ended the season with a team-record 9,911 points.
76ERS 126, BUCKS 106
PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points and Philadelphia tuned up for the play-in tournament with a win over Milwaukee in what could be Hall of Fame coach Doc Rivers’ final game.
The seventh-seeded 76ers host No. 8 seed Orlando in a play-in game Wednesday.
The Bucks played without All-Star and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the 76ers were without Joel Embiid after he was stricken last week with appendicitis.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks could be headed toward a separation in the offseason after a tumultuous season limited him to 27.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in 36 games this season, by far the fewest games of his 13-year career.
RAPTORS 136, NETS 101
TORONTO — RJ Barrett scored 26 points, Scottie Barnes had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his ninth career triple-double, and Toronto clinched their first playoff berth in four seasons by beating Brooklyn in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Atlanta’s loss to Miami and Orlando’s loss at Boston gave Toronto the fifth seed in the East and a first-round matchup with fourth-seeded Cleveland.
The Raptors and Hawks both finished 46-36 but Toronto swept the season series 4-0.
Toronto went 3-0 against the Cavaliers this season but the teams haven’t played since Nov. 24.
Barnes shot 8 for 11 in his third triple-double of the season. He’s the first player in Raptors history to have three triple-doubles in multiple seasons.
MAVERICKS 149, BULLS 128
DALLAS — Ryan Nembhard broke Dallas coach Jason Kidd’s club rookie record with 23 assists after No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg’s debut season ended with an ankle injury, and the Mavericks beat Chicago in a season finale.
John Poulakidas scored 28 points to lead the Mavericks in a meeting of also-rans that more closely resembled a summer league game. Moussa Cisse had 17 points and 20 rebounds, which tied Roy Tarpley’s rookie club record from 1986-87.
Flagg scored 10 points in 10 minutes before exiting with a sprained left ankle in the second quarter. The 19-year-old Rookie of the Year contender finished the season averaging 21.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 games.
Rob Dillingham scored 25 points for the Bulls, who head into an uncertain offseason looking for a new head of basketball operations and a decision on the future of coach Billy Donovan. CEO Michael Reinsdorf has said he wants Donovan to return.
ROCKETS 132, GRIZZLIES 101
HOUSTON — Clint Capela had a season-high 23 points with 13 rebounds on Sunday night as Houston’s stars sat out in a rout of injury-plagued Memphis to end the regular season.
The Rockets went 4-0 against the Grizzlies this season for their first season sweep against them since 2009-10.
The Rockets played without starters Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. with the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs secured. Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard and Josh Okogie, who have all started at times this season, were in the starting lineup Sunday and played through the third quarter.
Sheppard had 19 points Sunday and is the only Rocket to play all 82 games this season. Eason added 20 points with eight assists and Jae’Sean Tate had 13 points.
Dariq Whitehead led Memphis with a career-high 26 points and Rayan Rupert added 21 as the Grizzlies capped a disappointing 25-57 season. The Grizzlies dressed just eight players and started Toby Okani and Whitehead, who both signed 10-day contracts on April 3.
TIMBERWOLVES 132, PELICANS 126
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves rested almost all their regulars for the playoffs during a victory over New Orleans, as franchise icon Kevin Garnett made a special appearance for fan appreciation night in the regular-season finale.
With the Timberwolves locked into the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and the Pelicans long ago eliminated, the main attraction was Garnett’s first visit to Target Center in eight years.
The Hall of Fame forward and all-time franchise leader in nearly every major statistical category walked into the arena with Timberwolves co-owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez after player introductions, receiving a roar from the crowd and patting his heart with his hand. After giving current star Anthony Edwards a bear hug, Garnett took his courtside seat.
Garnett, who had a falling out with previous owner Glen Taylor after his career was over, reached an agreement last year with the team to serve as an ambassador. His No. 21 jersey will be retired at a later date.
SUNS 135, THUNDER 103
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jamaree Bouyea had career highs of 27 points and nine assists, Ryan Dunn added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Phoenix routed Oklahoma City in a meaningless regular-season finale for both teams.
Koby Brea added 20 points for Phoenix (45-37), which was locked into seventh place in the Western Conference and did not play any starters. The Suns will face either Portland or the Los Angeles Clippers in a play-in game Tuesday night.
Brandon Carlson scored a career-high 26 points and Payton Sandfort added 23 for NBA-best Oklahoma City (64-18), which lost two straight games for the first time since late January.
The Thunder, who secured the top overall seed Wednesday night, sat every starter except Lu Dort for the second straight game. Dort, who finished with six points, played 20 minutes in each of the final two games to qualify for season awards.
NUGGETS 128, SPURS 118
SAN ANTONIO — Nikola Jokic scored 23 points in the first half of his 65th game to become NBA award eligible and Denver beat San Antonio to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Denver had seven players score in double figures, including Julian Strawther with 25 points and Jonas Valanciunas, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points to lead San Antonio, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Stephon Castle added 10 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in his return from a two-game absence due to left foot soreness.
Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama, who reached award eligibility in his previous game, sat out as he recovers from a left rib contusion.
LAKERS 131, JAZZ 107
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James had 18 points, six assists and four rebounds in the first half, and Los Angeles tuned up for the postseason with a win over Utah.
Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton each had 22 points and 10 assists. James and Luke Kennard were held out of the second half as a precautionary measure, and the Lakers closed the regular season on a three-game winning streak. They finished fourth in the Western Conference and will face Houston in the first round of the playoffs.
Despite knowing they needed both a win and Denver loss to San Antonio to secure the third seed, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said his group could not worry about factors outside their control. Instead, Redick stressed continuing to build chemistry and continuity with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) having sustained injuries that will almost certainly keep Los Angeles’ top two scorers out for the start of the postseason.
CLIPPERS 115, WARRIORS 110
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists off the bench, and Los Angeles defeated Golden State to set up a rematch in the play-in tournament.
The Clippers settled for the No. 9 seed and will host the 10th-seeded Warriors on Wednesday after Portland beat Sacramento 122-110 to claim the eighth seed. The Clippers and Trail Blazers finished with identical 42-40 records, but Portland won the tiebreaker based on its better Western Conference record.
The Clippers began the season 6-21 and rallied to extend their franchise-record streak of 15 seasons with a record above .500, the longest active run in the NBA and fourth-longest in league history.
Stephen Curry scored 24 points, going 4 of 9 from 3-point range, to lead the Warriors, who finished at 37-45. Curry was limited to 29 minutes after playing in four of the last five games, having missed the previous 27 with a right knee injury.
TRAIL BLAZERS 122, KINGS 110
PORTLAND. Ore. — Deni Avdija had 25 points and 10 assists, Jrue Holiday scored 23 points, and Portland beat Sacramento to clinch the No. 8 seed and a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Portland will head to Phoenix to play the seventh-seeded Suns on Tuesday night, with the winner advancing to a first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs.
Donovan Clingan had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Scoot Henderson had 15 points for Portland.
Precious Achiuwa had 27 points and 11 rebounds, Nique Clifford had 24 points and Maxime Raynaud had 21 points as the Kings tied the Utah Jazz for last place in the West at 22-60.
