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#NBA #playoffs #LeBron #James #hits #points #Lakers #beat #Rockets">NBA playoffs: LeBron James hits 19 points as Lakers beat Rockets LeBronLuke Kennard scored 27 points, and LeBron James added 19 points with 13 assists as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers earned a 107-98 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series.
Deandre Ayton scored 19 points with 11 rebounds and Marcus Smart added 15 points with eight assists as the fourth-seeded Lakers won, with leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) watching from the bench.
In just his seventh start since joining the Lakers from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline, Kennard went nine of 13 from the floor and five of five from three-point range while delivering a season high in points to fill the scoring void at guard.
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points while Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard each added 17 for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who were playing without leading scorer Kevin Durant (knee).
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 points with 12 rebounds and Tari Eason also had 16 points for Houston, which has lost three consecutive road games to Los Angeles since the middle of March.
Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 points and host Denver Nuggets beat Minnesota Timberwolves to take a 1-0 lead in its first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Murray was perfect from the line, hitting a career-high 16 free throws. Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points, nearly half of which came during the Nuggets’ 14-0 third-quarter run which broke a deadlock and put them in control of the game after a slow start.
Anthony Edwards, who was questionable after missing 11 of the Timberwolves’ final 14 regular-season games with right knee issues, led Minnesota with 22 points. Rudy Gobert produced 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter.
Knicks 113, Hawks 102
Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to start the decisive third-quarter run for host New York Knicks, which pulled away for a win over the Hawks in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Jalen Brunson scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in the first quarter for the third-seeded Knicks, who reached the Eastern Conference finals last year for the first time since 2000. Towns finished with 25 points and was 10 of 10 from the free throw line, while Anunoby collected 18 points.
CJ McCollum scored 26 points for the Hawks, who earned the sixth seed in their first trip to the playoffs since 2023. Jalen Johnson had 23 points while Onyeka Okongwu (19) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17) each scored in double figures.
Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, and James Harden added 22 points and 10 assists, powering the Cavaliers to a victory over visiting Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Max Strus had 24 points off the bench, and Evan Mobley scored 17 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who have won 11 straight playoff games over the Raptors. Game 2 is Monday in Cleveland, where the Raptors are 0-8 all-time in the postseason.
RJ Barrett scored 24 points, and Scottie Barnes contributed 21 points and seven assists for the fifth-seeded Raptors. Brandon Ingram added 17 points, and Jamal Shead had 17 points in his playoff debut, starting for injured guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring strain).
Published on Apr 19, 2026
LeBronLuke Kennard scored 27 points, and LeBron James added 19 points with 13 assists as…
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#NBA #roundup #Raptors #top #Nets #earn #postseason #spot">NBA roundup: Raptors top Nets to earn first postseason spot since 2022
Scottie Barnes had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists Sunday, and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets 136-101 to clinch their first playoff spot since 2022.
In recording his third triple-double of the season and the ninth of his career, Barnes helped the Raptors (46-36) secure the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They face the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in the first round, beginning on Saturday in Cleveland.
RJ Barrett scored 26 points, and Brandon Ingram added 25 points for Toronto. Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poeltl each scored 11 points, while A.J. Lawson chipped in with 10 points. Immanuel Quickley had four points and five assists for Toronto and did not return for the second half because of a tight hamstring.
Chaney Johnson had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets (20-62), who are in a lottery spot. Tyson Etienne scored 20 points, and E.J. Liddell had 17 points. Ben Saraf scored 15 points and also picked up six fouls.
76ers 126, Bucks 106
Tyrese Maxey scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the third quarter as the host Philadelphia 76ers pulled away from Milwaukee in the second half to win what could be Hall of Fame coach Doc Rivers’ last game at the helm of the Bucks.
The club and Rivers are discussing a possible move to the front office for 2026-27, according to sources, after he has coached for parts of three seasons with the team. Rivers, 64, will be inducted as a coach into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in August. Quentin Grimes had four 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Philadelphia, which won its second straight and is locked into the play-in tournament. The seventh-seeded 76ers will host the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Center Joel Embiid was out again while recovering from an appendectomy.
AJ Green made five 3-pointers for Milwaukee (32-50) to finish the season with 232 treys, breaking Ray Allen’s single-season franchise record of 229 in 2001-02. Green was 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3 in the first half for 19 points; he failed to score after halftime.
Celtics 113, Magic 108
Baylor Scheierman tossed in a career-high 30 points to lead Boston to a victory over visiting Orlando in the final regular-season game for each team.
The Celtics, who had already secured the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, rested eight players, including their top seven scorers. Boston’s first playoff opponent will be the team that earns the No. 7 seed in the play- in tournament, either the Magic or the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston’s starting lineup was Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, Jordan Wash, Luka Garza and Scheierman.
The loss ended Orlando’s five-game winning streak. The Magic had won three in a row on the road. They will be the eighth seed in the play-in tournament and visit the seventh-seeded 76ers on Wednesday. The winner faces the Celtics, and the loser will host the winner of the 9/10 matchup on Friday.
Heat 143, Hawks 117
Bam Adebayo produced 25 points and 10 rebounds, leading host Miami to a win over Atlanta in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Miami also got 26 points and five assists from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and 25 points from Norman Powell, who returned from a groin injury. The Heat next will play at the Charlotte Hornets in the first game of the play-in round. The Heat, 5-10 over their past 15 games, are in the play-in round for the fourth straight year.
Atlanta, which had already clinched its first playoff berth since 2023, sat its entire starting lineup plus three reserves. Veteran Buddy Hield led the Hawks with a game-high 31 points, and Corey Kispert added 21 points.
Rockets 132, Grizzlies 101
Clint Capela produced a double-double in his third start of the season while Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard combined for 39 points as host Houston closed the regular season with a victory over short-handed Memphis.
The Rockets concluded the schedule with nine victories in their last 10 games. With the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs already secured, Houston rested four starters in its finale: Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. Capela paired a season-high 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Eason added 20 points and eight rebounds while Sheppard posted 19 points.
Memphis had only seven players available. Dariq Whitehead scored a career-high 26 points; Rayan Rupert (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Jahmai Mashack (11 points, 11 assists) added double-doubles for the Grizzlies, who closed the season with 21 losses in 23 games.
Nuggets 128, Spurs 118
Denver’s Nikola Jokic scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 18-plus minutes of court time — all in the first half — as the visiting Nuggets rolled to a win over San Antonio in the regular-season finale for both playoff-bound teams.
The Nuggets clinched the third seed in the Western Conference and will host sixth-seeded Minnesota for the first two games of their best-of-seven first- round playoff series. Denver ended the regular season with 12 straight wins and took three of the four games against the Spurs this year. Jokic played the necessary minutes to reach the league’s 65-game threshold for postseason award consideration.
Victor Wembanyama sat out the game for San Antonio, which already clinched the No. 2 spot in the West and had little to gain from Sunday’s game. The Spurs will host the winner of Tuesday’s 7/8 play-in tournament game between Phoenix and Portland in the opening two contests of a best-of-seven first-round playoffs series. The Spurs had a three-game winning streak snapped but finished the campaign with a 62-20 mark, their best since the 2015-16 season in which they won 67 games.
Cavaliers 130, Wizards 117
Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored a career-high 26 points and rookie Tyrese Proctor collected 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as playoff-bound Cleveland beat visiting Washington.
Jaylon Tyson had 18 points and rookie Tristan Enaruna had a season-best 15 points for Cleveland, which is the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will have home-court advantage over the fifth-place Toronto Raptors in their first-round series.
Rookie guard Jamir Watkins scored a career-high 24 points for the Wizards, who finished with the worst record in the league. Bub Carrington scored 20 points and dished out nine assists, and Sharife Cooper had 20 points and six assists off the bench. Cleveland had eight players reach double digits in points.
Pistons 133, Pacers 121
Eastern Conference leader Detroit closed out just the third 60-win regular season in franchise history, leading wire to wire in a defeat of Indiana in Indianapolis.
With the East’s No. 1 seed in the upcoming NBA playoffs also secured, Detroit limited its entire starting five to fewer than 26 minutes in the regular- season finale. That was plenty of time for Paul Reed to make some Pistons history, as he became the organization’s first player ever to score 25-plus points on a perfect field-goal shooting performance. Reed scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-11 from the floor.
The Pacers finished the worst season by won-loss record in franchise history. Quenton Jackson and Obi Toppin led the Pacers with 21 points each, Kobe Brown added 20 and Ethan Thompson 18. Micah Potter finished with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Hornets 110, Knicks 96
Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball and Coby White each scored 19 points as visiting Charlotte earned the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with a win over New York.
The Hornets will host the Miami Heat in a No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game on Tuesday. Kon Knueppel finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
New York had nothing to play for after already clinching the East’s No. 3 seed. With most of their regulars sitting out, the Knicks started Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Mikal Bridges, Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti. Bridges’ consecutive games played streak reached 638 — the eighth longest in NBA history — with his 23-second appearance. New York will face the Atlanta Hawks, the East’s No. 6 seed, in a first-round series beginning Saturday.
Mavericks 149, Bulls 128
Ryan Nembhard notched the second-most assists in a game in franchise history as Dallas beat visiting Chicago.
Nembhard fell narrowly short of a triple-double in the season-ending clash, chalking up 15 points, nine rebounds and 23 assists. Only current Dallas coach Jason Kidd, with 25 assists in a two-overtime game in February 1996, has registered more for the Mavericks. Cooper Flagg scored 10 points, his stellar rookie campaign ending with 10:11 left in the second quarter after spraining his left ankle on a bad landing while leaping for an offensive rebound.
Rob Dillingham scored 25 for the Bulls. Collin Sexton contributed 19, Leonard Miller had 17 and Lachlan Olbrich added a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Timberwolves 132, Pelicans 126
Rookie big man Joan Beringer recorded career highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Minnesota held on for a victory over New Orleans in Minneapolis.
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points for the Timberwolves, who relied on young players and reserves in their final game of the regular season. Zyon Pullin scored 19 points off the bench, and Joe Ingles capitalized on a rare start to notch a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. The Timberwolves already were locked into the No. 6 playoff seed in the Western Conference and will face the third-seeded Nuggets, beginning Saturday in Denver.
Rookie Jeremiah Fears scored 36 points on 12-for-29 shooting to lead the Pelicans. Fellow rookie Derik Queen finished with 30 points and 22 rebounds, and Micah Peavy scored 21 points.
Suns 135, Thunder 103
Jamaree Bouyea scored a career-high 27 points to help Phoenix close the regular season with a road win over Oklahoma City as both teams, with their playoff positions secure going into the game, sat the majority of their starters and major rotational players.
The Suns’ Ryan Dunn scored a season-high 20 points, shooting 8 for 11 from the field with a career-high tying 11 rebounds and a career-high five assists. Koby Brea added 20 points off the bench for Phoenix. Brea had scored just 25 points total in his first 11 NBA games. Rookie center Khaman Maluach had a career-high 18 points and tied his career high with 14 rebounds off the bench as well.
Branden Carlson tied his career high with 26 points to lead the Thunder. He also had 10 rebounds. Payton Sandfort added 23 points off the bench. Oklahoma City is the top overall seed in the NBA playoffs. Phoenix is the No. 7 seed and will open the play-in tournament at home Tuesday against eighth-seeded Portland.
Lakers 131, Jazz 107
Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton each posted 22-point, 10-rebound double- doubles to help Los Angeles down visiting Utah in their regular-season finale.
LeBron James completed his 23rd regular season, finishing with 18 points in 17 minutes for the Lakers, who will be the No. 4 seed in next week’s Western Conference playoffs and face the Houston Rockets in the first round. Dalton Knecht scored 17 points, Nick Smith Jr. added 12 and Bronny James chipped in 11 for Los Angeles, which finished with its most victories in a season since the 2010-11 campaign (57).
Oscar Tshiebwe led the Jazz with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh added 15 points apiece. Cody Williams and Bez Mbeng both scored 14 points and Blake Hinson had 10 for Utah, which recorded its second 60-loss season in franchise history and second in as many years.
Clippers 115, Warriors 110
Los Angeles sent a message to it play-in opponent, riding Bennedict Mathurin’s 20 points and a stingy defense to a home win over Golden State in what turned out to be an otherwise meaningless regular-season finale.
The Clippers lost a tiebreaker with eighth-place Portland and were relegated to ninth for play-in purposes, where they’ll get a home game Wednesday against the 10th-place Warriors. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
John Collins backed Mathurin with 18 points, and Mathurin and Collins each collected a game-high nine rebounds, while Mathurin also found time for a game-high eight assists. In just his third game after missing 27 straight with a sore right knee, Stephen Curry paced Golden State with a game-high 24 points.
Trail Blazers 122, Kings 110
Deni Avdija recorded 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds and Portland secured the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a win over visiting Sacramento in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Jrue Holiday added 23 points and seven rebounds for Portland, which will play beyond the regular season for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. The Trail Blazers will visit the No. 7 Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in the play-in round. The winner goes directly to the Western Conference playoffs against the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs while the loser will have a second opportunity on Friday.
Precious Achiuwa registered 27 points and 11 rebounds and Nique Clifford added 24 points and seven rebounds for the Kings. Maxime Raynaud had 21 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (22-60), which finished with the second-most losses in franchise history. The Kings went 17-65 in 2008-09.
Published on Apr 13, 2026
Scottie Barnes had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists Sunday, and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets 136-101 to clinch their first playoff spot since 2022.
In recording his third triple-double of the season and the ninth of his career, Barnes helped the Raptors (46-36) secure the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They face the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in the first round, beginning on Saturday in Cleveland.
RJ Barrett scored 26 points, and Brandon Ingram added 25 points for Toronto. Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poeltl each scored 11 points, while A.J. Lawson chipped in with 10 points. Immanuel Quickley had four points and five assists for Toronto and did not return for the second half because of a tight hamstring.
Chaney Johnson had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets (20-62), who are in a lottery spot. Tyson Etienne scored 20 points, and E.J. Liddell had 17 points. Ben Saraf scored 15 points and also picked up six fouls.
76ers 126, Bucks 106
Tyrese Maxey scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the third quarter as the host Philadelphia 76ers pulled away from Milwaukee in the second half to win what could be Hall of Fame coach Doc Rivers’ last game at the helm of the Bucks.
The club and Rivers are discussing a possible move to the front office for 2026-27, according to sources, after he has coached for parts of three seasons with the team. Rivers, 64, will be inducted as a coach into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in August. Quentin Grimes had four 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Philadelphia, which won its second straight and is locked into the play-in tournament. The seventh-seeded 76ers will host the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Center Joel Embiid was out again while recovering from an appendectomy.
AJ Green made five 3-pointers for Milwaukee (32-50) to finish the season with 232 treys, breaking Ray Allen’s single-season franchise record of 229 in 2001-02. Green was 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3 in the first half for 19 points; he failed to score after halftime.
Celtics 113, Magic 108
Baylor Scheierman tossed in a career-high 30 points to lead Boston to a victory over visiting Orlando in the final regular-season game for each team.
The Celtics, who had already secured the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, rested eight players, including their top seven scorers. Boston’s first playoff opponent will be the team that earns the No. 7 seed in the play- in tournament, either the Magic or the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston’s starting lineup was Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, Jordan Wash, Luka Garza and Scheierman.
The loss ended Orlando’s five-game winning streak. The Magic had won three in a row on the road. They will be the eighth seed in the play-in tournament and visit the seventh-seeded 76ers on Wednesday. The winner faces the Celtics, and the loser will host the winner of the 9/10 matchup on Friday.
Heat 143, Hawks 117
Bam Adebayo produced 25 points and 10 rebounds, leading host Miami to a win over Atlanta in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Miami also got 26 points and five assists from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and 25 points from Norman Powell, who returned from a groin injury. The Heat next will play at the Charlotte Hornets in the first game of the play-in round. The Heat, 5-10 over their past 15 games, are in the play-in round for the fourth straight year.
Atlanta, which had already clinched its first playoff berth since 2023, sat its entire starting lineup plus three reserves. Veteran Buddy Hield led the Hawks with a game-high 31 points, and Corey Kispert added 21 points.
Rockets 132, Grizzlies 101
Clint Capela produced a double-double in his third start of the season while Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard combined for 39 points as host Houston closed the regular season with a victory over short-handed Memphis.
The Rockets concluded the schedule with nine victories in their last 10 games. With the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs already secured, Houston rested four starters in its finale: Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. Capela paired a season-high 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Eason added 20 points and eight rebounds while Sheppard posted 19 points.
Memphis had only seven players available. Dariq Whitehead scored a career-high 26 points; Rayan Rupert (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Jahmai Mashack (11 points, 11 assists) added double-doubles for the Grizzlies, who closed the season with 21 losses in 23 games.
Nuggets 128, Spurs 118
Denver’s Nikola Jokic scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 18-plus minutes of court time — all in the first half — as the visiting Nuggets rolled to a win over San Antonio in the regular-season finale for both playoff-bound teams.
The Nuggets clinched the third seed in the Western Conference and will host sixth-seeded Minnesota for the first two games of their best-of-seven first- round playoff series. Denver ended the regular season with 12 straight wins and took three of the four games against the Spurs this year. Jokic played the necessary minutes to reach the league’s 65-game threshold for postseason award consideration.
Victor Wembanyama sat out the game for San Antonio, which already clinched the No. 2 spot in the West and had little to gain from Sunday’s game. The Spurs will host the winner of Tuesday’s 7/8 play-in tournament game between Phoenix and Portland in the opening two contests of a best-of-seven first-round playoffs series. The Spurs had a three-game winning streak snapped but finished the campaign with a 62-20 mark, their best since the 2015-16 season in which they won 67 games.
Cavaliers 130, Wizards 117
Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored a career-high 26 points and rookie Tyrese Proctor collected 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as playoff-bound Cleveland beat visiting Washington.
Jaylon Tyson had 18 points and rookie Tristan Enaruna had a season-best 15 points for Cleveland, which is the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will have home-court advantage over the fifth-place Toronto Raptors in their first-round series.
Rookie guard Jamir Watkins scored a career-high 24 points for the Wizards, who finished with the worst record in the league. Bub Carrington scored 20 points and dished out nine assists, and Sharife Cooper had 20 points and six assists off the bench. Cleveland had eight players reach double digits in points.
Pistons 133, Pacers 121
Eastern Conference leader Detroit closed out just the third 60-win regular season in franchise history, leading wire to wire in a defeat of Indiana in Indianapolis.
With the East’s No. 1 seed in the upcoming NBA playoffs also secured, Detroit limited its entire starting five to fewer than 26 minutes in the regular- season finale. That was plenty of time for Paul Reed to make some Pistons history, as he became the organization’s first player ever to score 25-plus points on a perfect field-goal shooting performance. Reed scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-11 from the floor.
The Pacers finished the worst season by won-loss record in franchise history. Quenton Jackson and Obi Toppin led the Pacers with 21 points each, Kobe Brown added 20 and Ethan Thompson 18. Micah Potter finished with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Hornets 110, Knicks 96
Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball and Coby White each scored 19 points as visiting Charlotte earned the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with a win over New York.
The Hornets will host the Miami Heat in a No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game on Tuesday. Kon Knueppel finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
New York had nothing to play for after already clinching the East’s No. 3 seed. With most of their regulars sitting out, the Knicks started Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Mikal Bridges, Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti. Bridges’ consecutive games played streak reached 638 — the eighth longest in NBA history — with his 23-second appearance. New York will face the Atlanta Hawks, the East’s No. 6 seed, in a first-round series beginning Saturday.
Mavericks 149, Bulls 128
Ryan Nembhard notched the second-most assists in a game in franchise history as Dallas beat visiting Chicago.
Nembhard fell narrowly short of a triple-double in the season-ending clash, chalking up 15 points, nine rebounds and 23 assists. Only current Dallas coach Jason Kidd, with 25 assists in a two-overtime game in February 1996, has registered more for the Mavericks. Cooper Flagg scored 10 points, his stellar rookie campaign ending with 10:11 left in the second quarter after spraining his left ankle on a bad landing while leaping for an offensive rebound.
Rob Dillingham scored 25 for the Bulls. Collin Sexton contributed 19, Leonard Miller had 17 and Lachlan Olbrich added a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Timberwolves 132, Pelicans 126
Rookie big man Joan Beringer recorded career highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Minnesota held on for a victory over New Orleans in Minneapolis.
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points for the Timberwolves, who relied on young players and reserves in their final game of the regular season. Zyon Pullin scored 19 points off the bench, and Joe Ingles capitalized on a rare start to notch a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. The Timberwolves already were locked into the No. 6 playoff seed in the Western Conference and will face the third-seeded Nuggets, beginning Saturday in Denver.
Rookie Jeremiah Fears scored 36 points on 12-for-29 shooting to lead the Pelicans. Fellow rookie Derik Queen finished with 30 points and 22 rebounds, and Micah Peavy scored 21 points.
Suns 135, Thunder 103
Jamaree Bouyea scored a career-high 27 points to help Phoenix close the regular season with a road win over Oklahoma City as both teams, with their playoff positions secure going into the game, sat the majority of their starters and major rotational players.
The Suns’ Ryan Dunn scored a season-high 20 points, shooting 8 for 11 from the field with a career-high tying 11 rebounds and a career-high five assists. Koby Brea added 20 points off the bench for Phoenix. Brea had scored just 25 points total in his first 11 NBA games. Rookie center Khaman Maluach had a career-high 18 points and tied his career high with 14 rebounds off the bench as well.
Branden Carlson tied his career high with 26 points to lead the Thunder. He also had 10 rebounds. Payton Sandfort added 23 points off the bench. Oklahoma City is the top overall seed in the NBA playoffs. Phoenix is the No. 7 seed and will open the play-in tournament at home Tuesday against eighth-seeded Portland.
Lakers 131, Jazz 107
Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton each posted 22-point, 10-rebound double- doubles to help Los Angeles down visiting Utah in their regular-season finale.
LeBron James completed his 23rd regular season, finishing with 18 points in 17 minutes for the Lakers, who will be the No. 4 seed in next week’s Western Conference playoffs and face the Houston Rockets in the first round. Dalton Knecht scored 17 points, Nick Smith Jr. added 12 and Bronny James chipped in 11 for Los Angeles, which finished with its most victories in a season since the 2010-11 campaign (57).
Oscar Tshiebwe led the Jazz with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh added 15 points apiece. Cody Williams and Bez Mbeng both scored 14 points and Blake Hinson had 10 for Utah, which recorded its second 60-loss season in franchise history and second in as many years.
Clippers 115, Warriors 110
Los Angeles sent a message to it play-in opponent, riding Bennedict Mathurin’s 20 points and a stingy defense to a home win over Golden State in what turned out to be an otherwise meaningless regular-season finale.
The Clippers lost a tiebreaker with eighth-place Portland and were relegated to ninth for play-in purposes, where they’ll get a home game Wednesday against the 10th-place Warriors. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
John Collins backed Mathurin with 18 points, and Mathurin and Collins each collected a game-high nine rebounds, while Mathurin also found time for a game-high eight assists. In just his third game after missing 27 straight with a sore right knee, Stephen Curry paced Golden State with a game-high 24 points.
Trail Blazers 122, Kings 110
Deni Avdija recorded 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds and Portland secured the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a win over visiting Sacramento in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Jrue Holiday added 23 points and seven rebounds for Portland, which will play beyond the regular season for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. The Trail Blazers will visit the No. 7 Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in the play-in round. The winner goes directly to the Western Conference playoffs against the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs while the loser will have a second opportunity on Friday.
Precious Achiuwa registered 27 points and 11 rebounds and Nique Clifford added 24 points and seven rebounds for the Kings. Maxime Raynaud had 21 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (22-60), which finished with the second-most losses in franchise history. The Kings went 17-65 in 2008-09.
Published on Apr 13, 2026
Scottie Barnes had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists Sunday, and the Toronto Raptors…