UNDATED (AP) — Domantas Sabonis had 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists, and the short-handed Indiana Pacers routed the Charlotte Hornets 144-117 in the Eastern Conference’s first play-in game.
Led by Sabonis and Doug McDermott, who scored 16 of his 21 points in the first quarter, the ninth-seeded Pacers snapped a franchise-worst nine-game losing streak in the postseason. They also moved within one victory of making a sixth consecutive playoff appearance. Charlotte was led by Miles Bridges with 18 points. The Hornets finished the season with six straight losses.
In Tuesday’s other NBA play-in:
— Jayson Tatum scored 32 of his 50 points in the second half, and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the Washington Wizards 118-100 in the play-in round. Kemba Walker added 29 points for Boston, which secured the seventh seed for the playoffs and a first-round matchup with second-seeded Brooklyn. That series opens on Saturday. Washington will host Indiana, which rolled over Charlotte in Tuesday’s other play-in game, for the eighth seed on Friday. The winner of that game will face Philadelphia, the top seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs. Bradley Beal scored 22 points for the Wizards. Russell Westbrook added 20 points and 14 rebounds.
In other NBA news:
— Milwaukee Bucks reserve forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo will miss the start of the playoffs after fracturing his right patella tendon in his team’s regular-season finale. Bucks officials say the 28-year-old will be out for at least two weeks. He’s the older brother of Milwaukee Bucks forward and two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks are the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and open a first-round series with the Miami Heat on Saturday.
— Upon further review, Indiana’s Myles Turner is the NBA’s blocked-shot champion for this season. The NBA said Tuesday that Turner will be recognized as the winner in that category, even though he did not play in the required 70% of games that are typically needed for someone to qualify as a statistical leader. Turner averaged 3.4 blocks per game in 47 games.
— Charles Barkley has given $1,000 apiece to the more than 200 employees of a city school system in his native Alabama. The former Auburn and NBA basketball star graduated from Leeds High School in 1981. Now, AL.com reports he is giving money to each Leeds City School system worker. The announcement was made Tuesday on Facebook. According to the post, Barkley has provided more than $3 million in scholarships to Leeds graduates over the past 30 years.
