UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers were unable to clinch the top seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Miami Heat held onto the fifth seed as Jimmy Butler scored 21 points, Bam Adebayo had a double-double in a 106-94 victory over the Sixers. Adebayo delivered 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who led 38-22 in the first quarter.
Miami’s Udonis Haslem got his first minutes of the season in the first half, scoring four points and getting ejected with two technical fouls in just under three minutes.
Tobias Harris scored 21 points, but MVP candidate Joel Embiid managed only six on 3-for-9 shooting after battling the flu earlier this week.
The outcome puts the 76ers one game ahead of the Nets with two games remaining for each team.
Checking out Thursday’s other NBA action:
— Giannis Antetokounmpo had a dominant performance in the Bucks’ 142-133 win at Indiana. The two-time reigning MVP poured in 40 points grabbed 15 rebounds and had six assists. Jrue Holiday finished with 20 points and 14 assists as Milwaukee pulled within a game of the idle Nets for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
— Devin Booker made two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining to give the Suns a 118-117 victory over the Trail Blazers. Booker’s winning foul shots were set up when Portland’s Robert Covington was fouled and missed both free throws with 4.4 seconds left. Chris Paul had a team-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting as Phoenix climbed within a game of Utah for the top seed in the West with two games remaining.
— The Clippers earned a 113-90 win over the Hornets as Paul George had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Reggie Jackson drained five 3-pointers in scoring 19 points off the bench, helping the Clippers deal the Hornets their fourth loss in five games. Kawhi Leonard had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who began the day one game ahead of Denver for the third seed in the West.
— Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 31 points in the first quarter as the Nuggets took control before holding off the Timberwolves, 114-103. JaVale McGee had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Vlatko Cancar scored a career-high 14 points off the bench for Denver. The Nuggets rested Michael Porter Jr. after clinching home-court advantage in their previous game.
— Bogdan Bogdanovic furnished 27 points and Trae Young added 18 as the Hawks cruised to their third straight win, 116-93 versus the Magic. Clint Capela added 14 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta, which led by 30 midway through the third quarter. The Hawks own the NBA’s longest active home winning streak at 10 games and have won 18 of their last 20 at State Farm Arena.
— Alec Burks provided a season-high 30 points in his return from a three-game absence, powering the Knicks to a 102-98 decision over the Spurs. Julius Randle had 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Knicks, who are a half-game behind Atlanta as they battle the Hawks and Miami for the No. 4 seed in the East. RJ Barrett scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half to help New York secure the victory.
— Dillon Brooks contributed 30 points and the Grizzlies crafted a late rally to knock off the Kings, 116-110. Jonas Valanciunas had 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Kyle Anderson scored 14 for Memphis.
— Zach LaVine dropped in 24 points and Lauri Markkanen added 20 as the Bulls beat the Raptors, 114-102. Chicago led by 24 in the third quarter and avoided elimination from the Eastern Conference playoff race.
