Jrue Holiday notched a career-high 51 to help the Bucks edge past the Pacers. Elsewhere, Joel Embiid returned from a controversial calf injury to orchestrate victory against the Mavericks, and the Kings secured their first playoff berth since 2006 with a win over the Blazers.
Sacramento Kings 120-80 Portland Trail Blazers
De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points and the Sacramento Kings clinched their first playoff berth since 2006 with a 120-80 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
Kevin Huerter added 17 points in the win, which also earned the Kings home-court advantage to open the postseason. The team’s 16-year playoff drought was the longest in NBA history and the longest active postseason dry spell among teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball.
Minnesota Timberwolves 100-107 Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker scored 29 points, Kevin Durant had 16 points and eight rebounds in his home debut and the Phoenix Suns won their third straight game, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-100 on Wednesday night.
The teams are in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race, fighting to stay in the top six so they don’t fall to the play-in tournament. Every game is crucial at this point — just three wins separated the Nos. 4-11 spots coming into Wednesday.
Utah Jazz 128-117 San Antonio Spurs
Talen Horton-Tucker scored a career-high 41 points and the Utah Jazz defeated the Spurs 128-117 on Wednesday night in what could have been coach Gregg Popovich’s final home game in San Antonio.
San Antonio (19-57) lost its fifth straight in its worst season since 1997, the year it drafted Tim Duncan with the No 1 overall pick. Rookie Malaki Branham led San Antonio with 21 points. Jones, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Devonte’ Graham each added 17.
Detroit Pistons 106-107 Oklahoma City Thunder
Rookie Jalen Williams’ putback with less than a second remaining gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a 107-106 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
The pressure was on for the Thunder, who entered the night two games under .500, hanging on to the final Western Conference play-in spot and without their guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the league’s No 4 scorer with 31.3 points per game — who was out with a sprained left ankle for the second straight game.
Los Angeles Clippers 141-132 Memphis Grizzlies
Russell Westbrook had a season-high 36 points, Robert Covington also had a season best with 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 141-132 on Wednesday night to open a two-game set.
The teams — both short-handed on Wednesday — will meet again Friday night in Memphis. Westbrook made five 3-pointers without a miss and had 10 assists. Covington was 9 of 10 from the field, making all seven of his 3-point attempts
Los Angeles Lakers 121-110 Chicago Bulls
LeBron James scored 25 points in his return to the starting line-up, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-110 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
James also had seven rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes in his second game back after he was sidelined for a month because of a torn tendon in his right foot. The four-time MVP scored 19 points in Sunday’s 118-108 loss to Chicago in just his second appearance as a reserve in his 20-year NBA career.
Miami Heat 92-101 New York Knicks
Immanuel Quickley scored 24 points, Quentin Grimes had 23 and the Knicks moved closer to a postseason berth with a 101-92 victory Wednesday night that sent the Miami Heat closer to the play-in tournament.
Josh Hart added 13 for the Knicks, who overcame the loss of Julius Randle to a sprained left ankle to win their second straight and remained firmly in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They are 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and opened a four-game gap over the seventh-place Heat.
Houston Rockets 114-123 Brooklyn Nets
Cam Johnson had 31 points, Mikal Bridges scored 12 of his 27 in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Houston Rockets 123-114 on Wednesday night.
Johnson and Bridges came over together from Phoenix in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Suns. Durant finally made his home debut for Phoenix on Wednesday night.
Milwaukee Bucks 149-136 Indiana Pacers
Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points in a triple-double and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 149-136 on Wednesday night.
Antetokounmpo added 17 rebounds and 12 assists to help the Bucks improve to 55-21. The two-time NBA MVP was an assist shy of a triple-double at halftime with 20 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He returned after sitting out Monday night in a victory at Detroit because of a sore knee.
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