Phoenix Suns clinch playoffs as in win over Spurs, Heat and Kings secure division titles 

Devin Booker scored 27 points and the Phoenix Suns never trailed, beating the depleted San Antonio Spurs 115-94 on Tuesday night to clinch a playoff spot.

The Suns (44-35) won their sixth in a row, the longest current winning streak in the NBA. With one more victory in the final three games, Phoenix would assure itself of at least the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round.

Chris Paul scored 22 points, while Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Durant scored 18 points and reserve Torrey Craig added 15.

The Suns are 7-0 when Durant has been in their lineup.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives as San Antonio Spurs Devonte’ Graham defends

Malaki Branham led the Spurs with 21 points. Tre Jones scored 20, while Keita Bates-Diop and Sandro Mamukelashvili each had 13.

The Spurs (20-59) only dressed 10 players. They were without their top two scorers, Keldon Johnson (right foot sprain) and Devin Vassell (left knee). 

Also out for San Antonio were Zach Collins (finger), Jeremy Sochan (right knee soreness) and Romeo Langford (left adductor).

And during Tuesday´s game, Doug McDermott played six minutes and limped off with an apparent knee injury. 

Dominick Barlow was hurt in a fourth-quarter collision, and starter Devonte´ Graham was helped to the locker room late in the game after hurting his leg.

San Antonio entered the night ranked last in scoring defense, having allowed 122.8 points per game. 

Phoenix came out roaring, shooting 63% in the first quarter in building a 42-25 lead. That´s the most the Suns have scored in the first quarter this season, passing the 40 points against Chicago on March 3.

Booker had 14 points in the first quarter.

The Suns led by as many as 31 points in the second quarter and were up 69-51 at the half. Paul made 7 of 8 shots in the half to lead the Suns with 18 points. 

Phoenix shot 56% and San Antonio 38 percent, with the Suns outrebounding the Spurs 30-20.

The Spurs got within nine in the third quarter, but by the end of the period Phoenix was back ahead 97-76. Booker scored 13 in the quarter to lead Phoenix.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul drives as San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones (33) defends

HEAT 118, PISTONS 105

Jimmy Butler scored 18 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the Miami Heat avoided an embarrassing loss by rallying to beat the hapless Detroit Pistons 118-105 on Tuesday night to win the southeast division.

Miami (42-37) kept its chance of escaping the Play-In tournament alive, but Detroit (16-63) made it tough before losing its 10th straight and falling to 1-21 in its last 22 games.

Gabe Vincent scored 22 points for the Heat while Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had 18 apiece.

Jaden Ivey scored 30 points for the Pistons, while fellow rookie Jalen Duren had 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots over the defense of Pistons guard Killian Hayes

KINGS 121, PELICANS 103

Sacramento rookie Keegan Murray could be the face of the Kings’ remarkable reversal of fortune.

Murray has heard all about the club’s recently ended, 16-season playoff drought. But his only season with the Kings now includes a first division title in two decades – and his scoring has been no small part of that.

De´Aaron Fox scored 23 points, Murray added 21 on seven 3-pointers, and the Kings beat the New Orleans Pelicans 121-103 on Tuesday night to clinch the Pacific Division title – their first such title since the 2002-03 season.

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) dunks against New Orleans Pelicans

BUCKS 140, WIZARDS 128 

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Jrue Holiday nearly added a triple-double of his own as the Milwaukee Bucks took another step toward wrapping up the NBA’s best record with a 140-128 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

Holiday finished with 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, and Bobby Portis added 19 points and 20 rebounds for Milwaukee.

The Bucks (57-22) moved to 2 1/2 games ahead of Boston, which played at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles past Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill 

LAKERS 135, JAZZ 133 

LeBron James scored 37 points – including the game-winning basket – to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 135-133 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

Anthony Davis tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers. Austin Reaves added 28 points. Five players scored in double figures to help Los Angeles win for the seventh time in eight games.

Kelly Olynyk finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Utah. Talen Horton-Tucker added 23 points and seven assists for the Jazz. Horton-Tucker has scored 123 points over his last four games. Ochai Agbaji chipped in 22. The Jazz lost for the seventh time in eight games.

Lakers forward LeBron James (6) brings the ball up as Utah Jazz guard Ochai Agbaji defends

76ERS 103, CELTICS 101 

Joel Embiid earned the highest stamp of approval from coach Doc Rivers after the All-Star center blistered Boston for his third 50-point game of the season and carried the 76ers on his beat-up, 7-foot frame to victory. 

Embiid made 20 of 25 shots from the floor and 12 of 13 free throws en route to his ninth game of the season with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds. Embiid joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only NBA centers with three 50-point games in a season.

Embiid had a career-high 59 points against the Utah Jazz in November and 53 against Charlotte in December. Considering the magnitude of this game — the 76ers hadn’t beat their East rivals all season — this effort was the most impressive one yet.

Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid dunks after getting past Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum

 RAPTORS 120, HORNETS 100 

Pascal Siakam scored 22 points and the Toronto Raptors rallied from four 9-point first quarter deficits to roll past the Charlotte Hornets 120-100 on Tuesday night.

Toronto has won five of its last six games, improving to 40-39 and solidifying their position for the NBA play-in tournament.

The Raptors scored 19 straight points during a stretch late in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter after Charlotte had gotten within 80-75 with 3:49 left in the third quarter.

Siakam also had 14 rebounds and was joined in double digits by Chris Boucher (21 points), Will Barton (20), O.G. Anunoby (17), Fred VanVleet (16), Precious Achiuwa (12) and Jakob Poeltl (10).

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam brings the ball up against the Charlotte Hornets

CAVALIERS 117, MAGIC 113 

Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points, his fourth straight 40-point game, to help Cleveland to a 117-113 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.

The win secure the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference for the Cavaliers. Mitchell scored Cleveland’s last six points to become the first Cavalier ever to score 40 or more points in four straight games.

Caris Levert added 19 points in Cleveland’s 50th win of the season, giving them home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles the ball against the Orlando Magic

TIMBERWOLVES 107, NETS 102 

Anthony Edwards scored 23 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the Brooklyn Nets 107-102 on Tuesday night.

Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Mike Conley scored 18 points, nine in the fourth quarter.

Spencer Dinwiddie had 30 points and six assists, Mikal Bridges scored 24 points and Dorian Finney-Smith had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who had their three-game win streak snapped. Their lead over Miami for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference was cut to one game after the Heat’s 118-105 victory in Detroit.

Timberwolves Anthony Edwards reacts after the Timberwolves defeated the Brooklyn Nets

GRIZZLIES 119, TRAIL BLAZERS 109 

Desmond Bane scored 30 points and keyed a fourth-quarter rally, Ja Morant added 23 points and nine assists and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 119-109 on Tuesday night.

Luke Kennard added 20 for Memphis, converting 6 of 10 3-pointers.

Skylar Mays, who signed a 10-day contract with Portland last weekend, led the Trail Blazers with 24 points and seven assists. Shaedon Sharpe added 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Jabari Walker finished with 16 points.

Portland held the lead with nine minutes left, but Bane connected on a trio of 3-pointers over a four-minute stretch midway through the fourth. That was part of a 22-2 Memphis run to put away the feisty Trail Blazers.

Grizzlies Desmond Bane (22) handles the ball in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers

HAWKS 123, BULLS 105 

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 26 points and the Atlanta Hawks overcame the loss of top scorer Trae Young to beat the Chicago Bulls 123-105 on Tuesday night.

Young, who leads the Hawks with a 26.2 scoring average, didn’t play due to a non-COVID illness. Forward De´Andre Hunter missed his third consecutive game because of a left knee bruise.

But Bogdanovic led the way on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5-of-10 on 3-point attempts.

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso (6) defends against Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic

ROCKETS 124, NUGGETS 103 

Jalen Green scored 32 points, six others scored in double figures and the last-place Houston Rockets prevented the Denver Nuggets from clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 124-103 victory in their home finale on Tuesday night.

Denver entered Tuesday three games ahead of Memphis for the top spot in the Western Conference with four games remaining for both teams. At 19-60 entering Tuesday, the Rockets stood 33 1/2 games behind Denver´s 52-26 record.

But none of that mattered to the upstart Rockets, hoping to end a rocky season on a positive note.

Rockets Jalen Green (4) attempts to drive around Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.

WARRIORS 136, THUNDER 125 

Stephen Curry scored 34 points, Jordan Poole dazzled down the stretch to score 30 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125 on Tuesday night in their final regular-season home game to move into fifth place in the Western Conference standings.

For a day, that is. The winner of the Clippers-Lakers game Wednesday jumps to fifth and will drop Golden State to sixth.

On a night Klay Thompson was a late scratch with low back tightness, Poole and his backcourt mates came through. Poole raised his hands to make a 3 sign while celebrating his big make from deep with 3:17 to play that put the Warriors up 131-120. He added a 360-degree layup the next time down off Draymond Green’s steal.

Warriors Stephen Curry (30) reacts after making a 3-point basket against the Thunder