Donovan Mitchell on Tuesday scored 31 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 115-109 to send the Philadelphia 76ers into the post-season.
Mitchell made 10-of-22 from the field including five three-pointers, while Caris LeVert added 18 from the bench against his former club as Cleveland improved to 46-28 to tighten their grip on fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland’s victory ensured that third-placed Philadelphia became the latest team to punch their ticket to the playoffs despite not playing on Tuesday.
Photo: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY
While Cleveland are yet to clinch, it would take a monumental collapse in the final weeks of the season for them not to advance to the post-season.
Tuesday’s game could well turn out to be a sneak preview for the playoffs, with Brooklyn still occupying the sixth automatic qualifying spot in the Eastern Conference.
Against Cleveland, they started brightly, taking a 30-23 lead into the second quarter before being outscored 71-48 in the next two periods to effectively cede the game, even if they managed to reduce the deficit to single digits in the final stages.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff was unhappy that his team eased off late in the fourth quarter.
“We need to play a complete game,” Bickerstaff said.
“We allowed the lead to dictate our emotions, we allowed a big play to dictate our emotions, instead of doing the job and finishing the game the way we need to finish the game,” Bickerstaff added.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Clippers stumbled to a 101-100 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game that saw Clippers ace Paul George exit with an apparent right leg injury in the fourth quarter.
George needed to be carried back to the locker room after his right knee buckled in a collision with the Thunder’s Lu Dort in the fourth quarter.
There was no immediate word on the extent of George’s injury, with the Clippers coach saying the eight-time All-Star was still being evaluated.
The Boston Celtics gave the high-flying Sacramento Kings a post-season reality check with a blowout 132-109 win.
Trae Young finished with 30 points in the Atlanta Hawk’s 129-107 win over the lowly Detroit Pistons, who are propping up the East with a league-worst record of 16-57.
Gary Harris finished with 22 points and Franz Wagner 20 as the Orlando Magic dented the Washington Wizard’s playoff aspirations with a 122-112 victory, while the New Orleans Pelicans dominated the San Antonio Spurs 119-84.
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