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 Pelicans 108, Spurs 103
Forward Anthony Davis scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as
the New Orleans Pelicans beat the San Antonio Spurs 108-103 and
booked the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
By winning eight of their final 11 games, the Pelicans raised their
season record to 45-37 and earned a place in the post-season for the
first time since 2011.
The Pelicans had the same record as Oklahoma City, but earned a
playoff spot thanks to a 3-1 regular-season edge over the Thunder.
The loss snapped San Antonio's 11-game winning streak. A win would
have given the Spurs the number two seed. Instead the reigning NBA
champions will be seeded sixth.
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Thunder 138, Timberwolves 113
Guard Russell Westbrook scored 37 points and the Oklahoma City
Thunder posted an ultimately hollow 138-113 win over the Minnesota
Timberwolves.
The Thunder finished the season with a 45-37 record, the only team
with a winning record not in the playoffs.
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Rockets 117, Jazz 91
James Harden posted his fourth triple-double this season as the
Houston Rockets turned an explosive second quarter into a 117-91 win
over the Utah Jazz and clinched the Southwest Division title.
Harden finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the
Rockets clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the
playoffs, in which they will face Texas rival Dallas Mavericks.
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Nets 101, Magic 88
The Brooklyn Nets used a second half surge to beat the Orlando Magic
101-88 and make the playoffs for the third successive year since
their move from New Jersey.
Rookie guard Bojan Bogdanovic set a career high with 28 points and
forward Joe Johnson capped a crucial 14-2 run with two consecutive
jump shots.
The Magic led by as many as 12 points in the second half.
The victory, combined with an Indiana loss, enabled the Nets to
clinch the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
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Grizzlies 95, Pacers 83
Center Marc Gasol posted a double-double with a career-high 33
points and 13 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated Indiana
95-83 to prevent the Pacers from claiming a playoff spot.
The Grizzlies (55-27) also helped themselves, moving up to the fifth
seed in the Western Conference and a first-round matchup with the
fourth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.
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Bulls 91, Hawks 85
Guard Aaron Brooks scored 23 points off the bench, and the Chicago
Bulls rallied for a 91-85 win against the Atlanta Hawks.
Guard Jimmy Butler added 21 points for the Bulls, who erased an
18-point deficit in the second half and secured the third seed in
the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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Raptors 92, Hornets 87
Guard Kyle Lowry scored 26 points and dished out seven assists as
the Toronto Raptors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 92-87 to finish
the regular season with a franchise-record 49 wins.
Center Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points for the Raptors, whose
previous high victory total was 48, accomplished twice before,
including last season.
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Celtics 105, Bucks 100
Luigi Datome hit three three-pointers and finished with 22 points as
the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 105-100.
Datome, in the starting lineup for the first time this season, hit
nine of 15 shots from the field as the Celtics won their sixth
successive game to head into the playoffs brimming with confidence.
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Cavaliers 113, Wizards 108 (OT)
Kevin Love scored 19 points in limited minutes and guard Matthew
Dellavedova had 18 points and matched his career high with 12
assists for Cleveland as the Cavaliers beat the Washington Wizards
113-108 in overtime.
With nothing left for either team to gain on the final day of the
regular season, both sides rested most of their regular starters.
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Mavericks 114, Trail Blazers 98
Tyson Chandler scored 22 and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Dallas
Mavericks to a 114-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in an
otherwise glorified scrimmage between two teams that came in with
their playoffs seeds secure.
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Heat 105, 76ers 101
Forward Michael Beasley scored a season-high 34 points and forward
Henry Walker hit a go-ahead three-pointer with nine seconds left for
Miami as the Heat edged the Philadelphia 76ers 105-101.
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Pistons 112, Knicks 90
Detroit ended their season by stopping a four-game road losing
streak with a 112-90 win over the New York Knicks.
- - -
Warriors 133, Nuggets 126
Despite sitting their starters the entire second half of a close
game, the Golden State Warriors recorded a 67th win, edging the
Denver Nuggets 133-126.
The Warriors, who finished with the best record in the league
(67-15), will take an 18-game home winning streak into the playoffs.
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Kings 122, Lakers 99
The Sacramento Kings routed the Lakers 122-99 as Los Angeles
completed the worst season in franchise history.
The Lakers wound up 21-61 and set a team record for the lowest
winning percentage in a season, .256. The 1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers
compiled a .264 mark by going 19-53. (Compiled by Andrew Both;
editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
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