The Atlanta Hawks on Friday secured an NBA playoff berth with a 124-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Boston Celtics locked up the Eastern Conference second seed with a lopsided win of their own.
C.J. McCollum scored a game-high 29 points for the Hawks, who came into the contest at sixth in the East and still in danger of falling into the play-in tournament that would see the seventh-through 10th-placed teams battle for the last two playoff berths in each conference.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson scored 18 points apiece, and Dyson Daniels added a triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for the Hawks, who led 61-48 at halftime and surged away with a 16-0 scoring run late in the third quarter.
Photo: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
“The goal was getting in the playoffs,” McCollum said. “Now for us, it’s about getting healthy, making sure everybody is ready to go, and we can ramp up.”
The Cavaliers, assured of the fourth seed in the East and home court advantage in the first round, rested Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.
The Celtics, who on Thursday had missed a chance to secure the second seed with a loss to the New York Knicks, got the job done with a record-equaling 29 three-pointers in a 144-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
It is the second time in two seasons the Celtics have matched the record of 29 treys in a game, first set by the Milwaukee Bucks in December 2020 and also matched this season by the Memphis Grizzlies.
All 30 teams played on the penultimate day of regular-season action, with more than a dozen of those headed for the post-season still jostling for playoff or play-in position.
The Knicks secured the third seed in the East with a 112-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto slipped from fifth to sixth with one game remaining and the same 45-36 record as the seventh-placed Orlando Magic — who beat the Chicago Bulls 127-103.
The Charlotte Hornets were locked into the play-in with their 118-100 loss to Eastern Conference top seeds Detroit.
Western Conference second seeds San Antonio, fueled by 40 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots from superstar Victor Wembanyama, beat the Dallas Mavericks 139-120.
Wembanyama returned to action after missing one game with a bruised rib and with 64 regular-season games and the NBA Cup final under his belt has met the 65-game minimum to be eligible for season honors including Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The Denver Nuggets kept their bid for third seed in the West on track with a 127-107 victory over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a contest that saw both teams rest all their regular starters.
With three-time MVP Nikola Jokic among the Nuggets absentees, Jonas Valanciunas scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to propel Denver to an 11th straight win.
It was perhaps not surprising that Oklahoma City, with the top seed in the West and best record in the league secured, would hold out stars including reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
However, Nuggets coach David Adelman said he was less concerned about his team’s ultimate seeding than with having his banged-up players healthy when the playoffs start.
“As a competitive person, I want everybody to play,” Adelman said. “I think you just have to play it out with decisions that are best for your team.”
The Los Angeles Lakers are assured of no worse than fourth in the West — and home court advantage in the first round — after a 101-73 victory over the Phoenix Suns coupled with the Houston Rockets’ 136-132 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
LeBron James scored 28 points and handed out 12 assists for the Lakers, who are without NBA leading scorer Luka Doncic as he battles to recover from a hamstring strain in time for the start of the playoffs.
Minnesota’s victory snapped Houston’s eight-game winning streak and ensured the Rockets would be seeded fifth.
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