UNDATED (AP) — The first two days of the NBA’s play-in schedule are finally set. The Nets will host the Cavaliers in the first Eastern Conference game on Tuesday night, one day before the Hawks entertain the Hornets. The Western Conference will have the Timberwolves hosting the Clippers on Tuesday, followed by Wednesday’s game between the Pelicans and visiting Spurs.
Kyrie Irving scored 35 points and Kevin Durant had a triple-double as the Nets beat the Pacers, 134-126 to claim seventh place in the East. Durant had 20 points, a career-high 16 assists and 10 rebounds against Indiana, which ends its season on a 10-game losing streak.
The Cavaliers came away with the eighth spot in the East by blowing out the Bucks, 133-115. Kevin Love made eight 3-pointers and provided 32 points for Cleveland, which scored the game’s first 14 points and led by 28 in the first quarter.
The Hawks stayed ninth in the East as Trae Young had 28 points and 11 assists in their 130-114 rout of the Rockets. Houston pulled within seven in the closing minutes before Atlanta scored the next 16 points.
LaMelo Ball finished an assist shy of a triple-double, providing 24 points and 10 rebounds in the Hornets’ 124-108 victory over the Wizards. Terry Rozier had 25 points for Charlotte, which made a 10-win improvement over last season to get the 10th seed in the East.
Also on the final day of the NBA’s regular season:
— Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and the Celtics secured the second seed in the East with a 139-110 victory over the Grizzlies. Jaylen Brown finished with 18 points and Al Horford added 13 as Boston shot close to 55%.
— Shake Milton, Tyrese Maxey and Paul Reed led the 76ers to a 118-106 victory over the Pistons and the fourth seed in the East. Playing without Joel Embiid and James Harden, Milton scored 30 points, and Maxey and Reed had 25 apiece.
— Juancho Hernangomez had a season-high 22 points and the Jazz came away with the fifth seed in the West with an 111-80 crushing of the Trail Blazers. Rudy Gobert added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz while top scorer Donovan Mitchell sat out of the game with a non-COVID-19 illness.
— The Heat absorbed a 125-111 loss to the Magic despite Victor Oladipo’s 40 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Mo Bamba and R.J. Hampton each scored 21 points, and Orlando hit 23 3-pointers against the top seed in the East.
— Patrick Williams scored a career-high 35 points and Ayo Dosunmu had 26 points in a season-high 45 minutes as the Bulls hung on for a 124-120 victory over the Timberwolves. Neither team played their regular starters after wrapping up playoff or play-in seeds before the game.
— The Warriors enter the playoffs as the third seed in the West after Klay Thompson made seven 3-pointers and scored 41 points in a 128-107 victory over the Pelicans. Jordan Poole scored 22 for Golden State, which opened up a 22-point lead in the second quarter and held on to close out the regular season on a five-game winning streak.
— Luka Doncic strained his left calf in the Mavericks’ 130-120 win over San Antonio putting the superstar’s status in question for the playoff-bound Mavericks. Doncic had 26 points nine assists and eight rebounds before the injury. He wouldn’t have even been eligible for the game had the NBA not rescinded the 16th technical foul he received two nights earlier.
— The Clippers were a whopping 50 points better than the Thunder as Amir Coffey had career highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds to highlight the 138-88 romp. Los Angeles rested George and Reggie Jackson, while Norman Powell sat out for maintenance after returning from a left foot injury earlier in the week.
— Justin Holiday, Damian Jones and Donte DiVincenzo each scored 19 points for the Kings in a 116-109 downing of the Suns. At 64-18, Phoenix finished with the best mark in franchise history and had eight more victories than other teams.
— The Lakers ended their frustrating season with a 146-141 overtime win at Denver. Malik Monk pumped in 31 points and Austin Reaves had a triple-double of 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists against the No. 6 seed in the West.
— Obi Toppin poured in a career-high 42 points and Immanuel Quickley had a triple-double as the Knicks beat the Raptors, 105-94. Quickley contributed 34 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds as he and Toppin had their best nights of the season.
