Avery Bradley had 30 points and eight rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets 116-104 on Monday for an important Eastern Conference victory.
Evan Turner scored 15 points as the Celtics won for the 10th time in the last 16 games. Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart each had 14 points.
Boston moved back into eighth place in the conference standings, a few percentage points ahead of Brooklyn in the battle for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
Kemba Walker led a furious fourth-quarter comeback that fell short, finishing with 28 points and 12 assists. Gerald Henderson added 17 points for Charlotte, who have dropped four of their last five games.
Charlotte’s loss clinched a second straight playoff berth for the Washington Wizards.
RAPTORS 99, ROCKETS 96
In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored a career-high 42 points and tied his career best with 11 rebounds as the Raptors earned their eighth straight home victory over the Rockets.
DeRozan made a go-ahead turnaround bank shot with 1 minute, 27 seconds left, and then closed out the win with a jumper over James Harden with 18 seconds to go. He made 14 of 27 attempts from the floor and 12 of 17 at the free-throw line.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 15 points for Toronto, and Lou Williams had 13.
Harden scored 31 for the Rockets, who had won four in a row. Trevor Ariza had 15 points, and Corey Brewer finished with 13.
Houston have not won north of the border since a 114-100 victory on March 16, 2007.
TRAIL BLAZERS 109, SUNS 86
In Portland, Oregon, Damian Lillard scored 19 points before sitting out the final quarter as Portland secured a playoff berth.
The Blazers have won four straight to edge closer to their first Northwest Division title since 2008-2009.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Portland led by as many as 31 points. The Blazers rested their starters in the fourth quarter after building a 92-65 lead.
The Suns have lost four straight, and while they are mathematically in the playoff picture, their chances are dwindling. Phoenix play six of their last eight games on the road.
Gerald Green and rookie T.J. Warren each scored 13 points in the Suns’ seventh loss by 20 or more points this season.
HAWKS 101, BUCKS 88
In Atlanta, Georgia, DeMarre Carroll scored 23 points and Kyle Korver put on quite a shooting display in the third quarter, carrying Atlanta to the win.
Having clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks are trying to maintain their playing edge while staying healthy for the final two weeks of the regular season. This was not pretty — they put up five airballs — but it was enough to improve to 56-18, one win away from tying the team record.
Korver, who has seemed uncomfortable playing with a protective mask since breaking his nose on March 15, missed his first four shots against the Bucks — all beyond the arc. Then, suddenly, he found the range.
In just 65 seconds, Korver made four straight deep jumpers. Three of them were outside the stripe, pushing what had been a five-point edge to 67-51. That brief stretch accounted for all of his 11 points in the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 18 points for Milwaukee.
In other games, it was:
‧ Grizzlies 97, Kings 83
‧ Lakers 113, 76ers 111, OT
‧ Jazz 104, Timberwolves 84
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