Celtics cruise past Hornets | AP News

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Prichard scored a career-high 31 factors and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 131-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday evening.

Pritchard added 11 assists for his second double-double this season and helped the Celtics keep away from shedding three consecutive video games for the primary time this season.

Luke Kornet completed with 16 factors and 10 rebounds, and Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta each additionally had 16 factors for Boston, which led by as many as 33.

The Celtics’ high six rotation gamers – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Vacation, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford – all sat out with nagging illnesses in what was basically a relaxation evening for them. Boston has already locked up the highest seed within the Japanese Convention and home-court benefit all through the playoffs.

Tre Mann led the Hornets with 19 factors and eight assists. Nick Smith Jr. added 15 factors.

76ERS 125, MAGIC 113

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 32 factors, 13 rebounds and 7 assists after an obvious damage scare within the first half and Philadelphia beat Orlando.

Tyrese Maxey scored 28 factors and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 21 as Philadelphia (46-36) received its seventh straight sport and moved right into a tie with Orlando for the sixth seed within the East. The Sixers and Magic are a half-game behind Indiana for the No. 5 seed. The Pacers performed Cleveland on Friday evening.

Franz Wagner scored 24 factors, Paolo Banchero had 22 and Jalen Suggs 20 for Orlando (46-35), which has misplaced three straight sport. The Matic can declare the Southeast Division with a victory over Milwaukee on Sunday.

BULLS 129, WIZARDS 127

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rookie Adama Sanogo had 22 factors and 20 rebounds to shatter his profession highs and assist short-handed Chicago beat Washington.

Chicago coach Billy Donovan gave starters DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Alex Caruso the evening off after clinching the ninth seed within the Japanese Convention on Thursday evening with a victory in Detroit.

Javonte Inexperienced added 24 factors, Jevon Carter had 20 factors and 12 assists and Torrey Craig completed with 11 factors and 15 rebounds. The Bulls received two straight for the primary time in practically a month.

Corey Kispert scored 12 of his 23 factors within the fourth quarter for Washington in its house finale. Deni Avdija had 23 factors and 12 rebounds. The Wizards have misplaced 5 straight.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. added 19 factors and 12 rebounds, rookie Tristan Vukcivic scored a career-best 19 factors, and Jared Butler had 15 factors and 10 assists for the Wizards.

KNICKS 111, NETS 107

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson had 30 factors and 11 assists after a sluggish begin, OG Anunoby scored all of his 15 factors within the third quarter and New York beat Brooklyn, clinching home-court benefit within the first spherical of the Japanese Convention playoffs.

Josh Hart added 16 factors and Mitchell Robinson additionally had 15 for the Knicks, who assured themselves a top-four end within the East and remained within the hunt for the No. 2 seed. They entered play a sport behind Milwaukee for second within the East. The Bucks have been enjoying at Oklahoma Metropolis later Friday with out Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

Cam Thomas completed with 41 factors. Trenton Watford added 17 factors and 13 rebounds for the Nets, who had received six of 9.

CAVALIERS 129, PACERS 120

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 33 factors, Jarrett Allen had 29 factors and 13 rebounds and Cleveland clinched a playoff berth with a victory over Indiana.

Indiana pulled to 120-118 with 2:04 remaining on Pascal Siakam’s drive, however Darius Garland answered with a 3-pointer over Siakam. The Cavaliers scored the ultimate six factors, capped by an Isaac Okoro three-point play that ended with him somersaulting.

Tyrese Haliburton had 19 factors and 12 assists, Siakam scored 19 factors and Myles Turner had 17 factors for the Pacers, who can nonetheless qualify for the playoffs with a win or a Philadelphia loss on Sunday. Indiana had received three straight.

Garland and Caris LeVert every completed with 16 factors, and Max Strus had seven factors and 9 assists. Allen made 13 of 14 pictures for Cleveland, which earned its first back-to-back playoff appearances since making 4 straight NBA Finals from 2015-2018.

HEAT 125, RAPTORS 103

MIAMI (AP) — Nikola Jovic scored 22 factors, Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 20 factors and 9 assists, and Miami stored hope alive of escaping the play-in match by topping Toronto.

Bam Adebayo scored 19 factors, Tyler Herro scored 18, and Jimmy Butler and Kevin Love every scored 14 for the Warmth (45-36). Miami nonetheless might get out of the play-in with a win in a rematch towards the Raptors on Sunday and a few assist.

RJ Barrett had 35 factors and a season-high 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who misplaced for the 18th time of their final 20 video games. Immanuel Quickley scored 15 factors, Bruce Brown scored 14 and Kelly Olynyk grabbed 11 rebounds for Toronto.

SPURS 121, NUGGETS 120

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Devonte’ Graham converted a floater in the lane with 0.9 seconds remaining, and San Antonio handed Western Convention-leading Denver a probably damaging loss, rallying from 23 factors down.

The Nuggets (56-25) fell out of sole possession of first place within the West and right into a tie with Minnesota and Oklahoma Metropolis. Due to tiebreakers, the Timberwolves have been first, the Thunder second and the Nuggets third heading into the ultimate day of the common season on Sunday.

Victor Wembanyama had 34 factors and 12 rebounds for the short-handed Spurs, who’re final within the West.

Jamal Murray had 35 factors and Nikola Jokic had 22 factors and 12 rebounds for Denver, which led 76-53 early within the third quarter and nonetheless had a 17-point benefit early within the fourth.

LAKERS 123, GRIZZLIES 120

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — LeBron James had 37 factors, together with six within the remaining minute, and 10 rebounds and Anthony Davis had 36 factors and 14 rebounds as Los Angeles beat the short-handed Memphis.

Davis, getting back from a left eye damage that stored him out of the Lakers’ loss to Golden State on Tuesday, was 11 of twenty-two on this sport. James shot 13 for 20 to assist the Lakers snap a two-game shedding streak.

GG Jackson scored 31 factors to guide the Grizzlies, whereas Scotty Pippen Jr. had a career-high 28. Jake LaRavia additionally completed with 28 factors, and Jordan Goodwin added 23 factors and 16 rebounds.

THUNDER 125, BUCKS 107

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 factors and Oklahoma Metropolis beat injury-depleted Milwaukee to spice up their hopes of taking the No. 1 seed within the Western Convention playoffs.

The Bucks performed Friday with out All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. They already had introduced Wednesday that Antetokounmpo would miss the remainder of the common season with a strained left calf. Lillard was out with a sore left adductor. Milwaukee fell to 4-4 in video games with out Antetokounmpo this season.

Chet Holmgren had 22 factors and 9 rebounds and Aaron Wiggins scored 19 factors for the Thunder, who’ve received 4 straight. Oklahoma Metropolis shot 52.8% from the sphere.

Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez every scored 18 factors for Milwaukee.

TIMBERWOLVES 109, HAWKS 106

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rudy Gobert had 25 factors, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks to assist Minnesota defeat Atlanta and transfer right into a three-way tie for first place within the Western Convention.

Naz Reid had 19 factors, Anthony Edwards scored 14 and Mike Conley added 13 factors and 10 assists for the Timberwolves, who welcomed again All-Star ahead Karl-Anthony Cities, who had 11 factors after lacking 18 video games following surgical procedure to restore a broken meniscus in his left knee.

Trae Younger led Atlanta with 19 factors in 27 minutes, his second sport again after lacking six weeks with a hand damage. Bogdon Bogdonović had 17 factors and Clint Capela added 13 factors and 11 rebounds for the Hawks.

PISTONS 107, MAVERICKS 89

DALLAS (AP) — Marcus Sasser scored 24 factors in his hometown return, together with 13 straight factors throughout a stretch of the third quarter, and Detroit beat Dallas.

The Pistons (14-67) led for many of the evening towards a Mavericks workforce that had received 5 consecutive video games and 16 of 18 to safe an playoff spot.

Chimezie Metu scored 18 factors for Detroit, matching a profession excessive with 4 3-pointers.

ROCKETS 116, TRAIL BLAZERS 107

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jalen Inexperienced had 26 factors and Houston spoiled Portland’s remaining sport at house this season.

Aaron Vacation got here of the bench to attain 18 factors whereas Amen Thompson had 17 factors and 15 rebounds for Houston, which was already eradicated from playoff competition.

Scoot Henderson had 30 factors for the Blazers, who’ve misplaced 4 in a row and 14 of their final 16 with one sport left. Portland was second-to-last within the Western Convention.

PELICANS 114, WARRIORS 109

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — CJ McCollum hit a 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining to assist seal it and scored 28 factors, Zion Williamson had 26 and New Orleans boosted their playoff positioning by beating Golden State.

Trey Murphy III transformed a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left and completed with 24 factors and eight rebounds for New Orleans.

Stephen Curry scored 33 factors and hit a 3 with 56 seconds left however missed from the highest of the arc with 13 seconds to play, and the Warriors’ loss possible lands them within the 9-10 seeds matchup of the Play-In Match on Wednesday.

Klay Thompson added 19 factors and 6 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins scored 18 factors and Draymond Inexperienced contributed 12 rebounds and 11 assists in simply the second loss over the previous 11 video games for 2022 NBA champion Golden State.

JAZZ 110, CLIPPERS 109

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reserve Kenneth Lofton Jr. scored a season-high 27 factors and Utah beat the Los Angeles Clippers.

Bones Hyland led the Clippers with 20 factors off the bench and Amir Coffey added 16.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed his seventh straight sport with proper knee irritation and is unlikely to return earlier than the playoffs begin subsequent weekend.

Paul George, who performed simply eight minutes, and Ivica Zubac added 10 factors every for the Clippers, who routed the Jazz by 29 factors per week in the past.

SUNS 108, KINGS 107

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 28 factors, Jusuf Nurkic made a late free throw and Phoenix rallied to beat Sacramento.

With the sport tied at 107 after Phoenix overcame a 16-point deficit, Domantas Sabonis fouled Nurkic preventing for the rebound off a missed shot by the Suns’ Grayson Allen. Nurkic, who completed with 10 factors and 10 rebounds, missed the primary, however made the second to present the Suns the lead with 8.1 seconds to play.

Bradley Beal then stripped De’Aaron Fox as Fox tried to tug up for a possible profitable shot on the opposite finish.

Devin Booker added 21 for Phoenix, and Beal had 20. Sabonis had 25 factors, 12 rebounds and 9 assists for the Kings.