Jalen Johnson recorded his first career triple-double and the Atlanta Hawks clinched a spot in the play-in tournament with a 121-113 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
Johnson scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting, along with 14 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists. Dejounte Murray was the last Hawk player to record a triple-double, which he did on November 5, 2022.
The Pistons stayed close behind a 50-point performance from Malachi Flynn. He made 18 of 25 field goals and five 3-pointers, setting a franchise record for most points by a reserve player.
The Hawks have won six of their last seven games and have moved into ninth place in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Chicago Bulls, who are sitting on the quiet side. With this victory, Atlanta won its third straight season series against the Pistons and extended its winning streak against Detroit to seven games.
Celtics 135, Thunder 100
Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots as Boston defeated Oklahoma City at home, clinching the No. 1 overall seed and securing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Porzingis was 11 of 14 from the field and has scored at least 17 points in his last 13 games. Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and Jaylen Brown added 23 points for Boston.
Oklahoma City played without the team's two leading scorers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quadriceps strain) and Jaylen Williams (ankle sprain). Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a team-high 30.3 points per game, and Williams is averaging 19.5 points per game.
Timberwolves 133, Raptors 85
Anthony Edwards had 28 points and six assists and the University of Minnesota defeated Toronto in Minneapolis.
Naz Reid added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won for the second time. Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Immanuel Quickley, Grady Dick and Javon Freeman-Liberty each scored 16 points to lead the Raptors, who had lost 15 straight games. The team's worst failure was in the 1997-98 season when they conceded 17 consecutive games.
Lakers 125, Wizards 120
Anthony Davis finished with 35 points and 18 rebounds, all five Los Angeles starters scored in double figures, and the Lakers finished their road trip with a 5-1 record with the win over Washington.
Reserves accounted for just 12 of Los Angeles' points, with LeBron James scoring 25 points and Rui Hachimura scoring 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting.
Thanks to the contributions of their starters, Los Angeles won its eighth game in its last nine games, and the Lakers remained comfortably in the Western Conference's play-in spot, five games behind Houston, the first team outside of the play-in spot.
Grizzlies 111, Bucks 101
Memphis won against Milwaukee with Jaren Jackson Jr. scoring 35 points.
GG Jackson added 15 points and 12 boards for the Grizzlies, who swept their two-game season series against the Bucks. Jordan Goodwin contributed with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Brook Lopez had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee. The Bucks played without Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Patrick Beverley, but Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Suns 122, Cavaliers 101
Devin Booker had 40 points and eight assists, and Kevin Durant added 32 points, seven assists and six rebounds as Phoenix passed visiting Cleveland.
Royce O'Neal scored 17 points and Bol Bol scored 15 points off the bench for the Suns, who moved into the sixth and final automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference. Phoenix is tied with New Orleans, but holds the tiebreaker advantage after defeating the Pelicans on Monday.
Donovan Mitchell had 24 points, Evan Mobley had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Jarrett Allen also scored 20 points for the Cavaliers, who have lost six of their past nine games.
Nets 115, Pacers 111
Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 27 points as the Nets defeated Indiana in New York, stopping the Pacers from clinching a guaranteed playoff spot.
Tyrese Haliburton made a 3-pointer to keep the Pacers in the game, then Jalen Wilson sank two free throws with seven seconds left to seal the victory. A close fourth quarter saw four lead changes and two ties, but neither team led by more than six points in the frame.
With this loss, Indiana is tied with the Miami Heat for sixth place in the Eastern Conference automatic playoff standings. The Atlanta Hawks' victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday officially eliminated the Nets from postseason contention.
Trail Blazers 89, Hornets 86
Deandre Ayton's 24 points and Scoot Henderson's 22 points helped visiting Portland defeat Charlotte and end its losing streak at 10 games.
The Hornets had a chance to take the lead after Henderson missed two free throws with 18.5 seconds left, but Brandon Miller missed his drive with seconds left. Walker made two free throws for the final points of the game.
Earlier in the day, Steve Clifford said he plans to step down as Hornets coach after the season and transition into a front office role with the organization.
Magic 117, Pelicans 108
Paolo Banchero led the way with 32 points, Wendell Carter Jr. had a double-double and was the game's top rebounder, and Orlando secured a key victory in the playoff race with a win over host New Orleans.
The Wagner brothers combined for 42 points (Francz, starting, 24, Moritz, off the bench, 18), and the Magic have won three in a row and are half a game ahead of the underdog New York Knicks. ) 4th place in the Eastern Conference playoff spot.
CJ McCollum scored a season-high 36 points for the Pelicans, but they lost three games in a row and are now in the seventh spot in the West Division.
—Field Level Media
