Luka Doncic recorded his 11th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, as the Dallas Mavericks held off the Toronto Raptors 114-110 to clinch a playoff spot.
After trailing by as many as 19 points about four minutes into the third quarter, Toronto sliced the gap to just six points in the fourth quarter on the strength of a 12-2 Toronto run that bridged the third and fourth periods.
The Raptors cut the deficit to three points with 2:59 left in the game when rookie Malachi Flynn knocked down one of his three 3-pointers en route to a season-high 26 points.
Josh Richardson scored four of his 10 points with free throws in the final 10 seconds, all of which proved critical to Dallas holding off Toronto’s rally.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Mavericks with 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Orlando Magic 97-122 Philadelphia 76ers
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Highlights of the Orlando Magic against the Philadelphia 76ers
Seth Curry scored 20 points, Shake Milton added 15 as Philadelphia clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race with victory over the undermanned Magic.
Joel Embiid contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds while Ben Simmons had 13 points and nine assists for the Sixers (48-23), who will complete the 72-game regular season with another game against the Magic on Sunday before the playoffs begin.
The Sixers improved to 28-7 at home.
Ignas Brazdeikis led the reeling Magic (21-50) with a career-high 21 points while R.J. Hampton added 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Chasson Randle also scored 12 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers 105-120 Washington Wizards
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Highlights of the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Washington Wizards
Russell Westbrook added to his NBA triple-double record with the 183rd of his career, helping the Wizards clinch a berth in the play-in round of the Eastern Conference playoffs as they stopped the Cavaliers in DC.
Westbrook finished with 21 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds for the Wizards (33-38), who could still finish as high as eighth place in the conference if they beat Charlotte in their final game and Indiana drops its final two games.
Six other players scored in double figures for Washington. Davis Bertans tallied 17 points, while Rui Hachimura and reserve Robin Lopez each hit for 14. Anthony Gill and Daniel Gafford chipped in 12 points apiece and Ish Smith added 11.
Collin Sexton scored a game-high 26 points for Cleveland (22-49) but also committed six of its 17 turnovers. Jarrett Allen added 18 points and a game-best 14 rebounds, while Isaac Okoro hit for 17 points. Cedi Osman netted 16 and Dean Wade contributed 12 points.
Utah Jazz 109-93 Oklahoma City Thunder
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Highlights of the Utah Jazz against the Oklahoma City Thunder
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points to lead the Jazz to a fine road win over the Thunder.
Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 18 rebounds to help the Jazz (51-20) inch closer to clinching the top spot in the Western Conference.
A Utah win in Sunday’s regular-season finale or a loss by Phoenix in either of its last two games – both at San Antonio – would give the Jazz the top record in the NBA.
It would be Utah’s first time finishing as the top seed in the Western Conference since 1997-98. The Jazz have never finished with the NBA’s best record.
The Thunder (21-50) have lost nine in a row.
Denver Nuggets 104-91 Detroit Pistons
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Highlights of the Denver Nuggets against the Detroit Pistons
Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double in less than 27 minutes on the court, finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Nuggets to victory over the Pistons.
The Nuggets (47-24) and the Clippers (47-24) are tied for third place in the Western Conference after Los Angeles fell to the Rockets. Denver, which won its third game in a row, holds the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Clippers. LA closes the season at Oklahoma City on Sunday. The Nuggets finish at Portland on Sunday.
The Pistons’ Hamidou Diallo, who was listed as questionable due to health and safety protocols heading into the game, totalled 18 points and 12 rebounds. Josh Jackson finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Markus Howard also had 20 points for Denver while Vlatko Cancar had 11 points. Monte Morris was back after sitting out the Nuggets’ Thursday game against Minnesota for rest, and he finished with 15 points off bench.
New Orleans Pelicans 122-125 Golden State Warriors
Jordan Poole capped a career-best, 38-point performance by driving for a layup with 21.4 seconds remaining as the Warriors defeated the Pelicans in San Francisco.
The Warriors won a fifth straight to open a regular-season-ending, six-game homestand despite resting Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. The win allowed the Warriors (38-33) to keep pace with Memphis (38-33), setting up a showdown in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon that will determine the eighth and ninth positions in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker went for a team-high 30 points and Naji Marshall posted career highs with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans (31-40), who were eliminated from the Western playoff race earlier in the week.
Mychal Mulder had a career-best 28 points for the Warriors.
Sacramento Kings 106-107 Memphis Grizzlies
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Highlights of the Sacramento Kings against the Memphis Grizzlies
Justise Winslow scored a season-high 25 points and matched his career best of 13 rebounds to help the Grizzlies notched a one-point win over the visiting Kings.
Xavier Tillman contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Killian Tillie added a career-high 16 points as Memphis (38-33) won its fifth straight game. John Konchar scored 15 points as the Grizzlies swept a back-to-back set with the Kings.
Louis King recorded career highs of 27 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (31-40). Damian Jones posted season highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds, Justin James scored 16 points and Chimezie Metu added 15.
Memphis held a six-point lead with 38 seconds remaining before the Kings made a late rush. Terence Davis hit a 3-pointer with 7.9 seconds left, but he saw his last-second 3-point attempt bounce off the glass and the rim before failing to go through the rim.
LA Clippers 115-122 Houston Rockets
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Highlights of the Los Angeles Clippers against the Houston Rockets
Kelly Olynyk collected 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds as the Rockets ended a seven-game losing streak.
The loss dropped the Clippers (47-24) into a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference with the Denver Nuggets with one game left.
Seven players scored in double figures for Houston (17-54), who had lost 12 of 13 and 44 of 49.
Jae’Sean Tate scored 20 points, Khyri Thomas had 17 points and Anthony Lamb also scored 17 off the bench for Houston, who finish their season on Sunday at Atlanta.
Luke Kennard scored 23 points, Jay Scrubb scored 17 in his third NBA game, and Serge Ibaka returned from a two-month absence caused by a back injury and scored 15 off the bench in 17 minutes for Los Angeles.