UNDATED (AP) — Joel Embiid had 45 points and 13 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers made a franchise-record 17 3-pointers in the first half of a 131-122 victory over the Indiana Pacers that moved them into a tie with Boston atop the Atlantic Division.
Embiid banked in a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer and shot 18 for 30 overall while moving into the NBA scoring lead with 30.4 points per game.
He had 27 points and seven rebounds in the first half, helping Philadelphia take control with a 49-point second quarter that led to an 82-59 halftime lead. Buddy Hield scored 25 points for Indiana.
In other NBA action:
— Devin Booker scored 32 points and the Phoenix Suns won their franchise-record 63rd game of the season, beating a Lakers team minus LeBron James 121-110 to eliminate Los Angeles from the playoff race. It was a tight game during the first half but Phoenix used a 29-9 run in the third quarter to create separation. The rest of the game was essentially a celebration for the Suns, who danced and dunked their way past the forlorn Lakers. Los Angeles — playing without James for a second straight game because of a sprained ankle — has lost seven straight.
— CJ McCollum and Jaxson Hayes each scored 23 points and the New Orleans Pelicans clinched a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, beating the Sacramento Kings 123-109. Brandon Ingram added 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Pelicans (35-44), who never trailed. New Orleans has won four of five. Damian Jones had 22 points for Sacramento.
— Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each scored 20 points to help the San Antonio Spurs secure a spot in the play-in tournament following a 116-97 win over the Denver Nuggets. The Spurs locked up at least the 10th seed in the Western Conference when the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoff race with a loss to Phoenix. Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had 41 points and 17 rebounds for the Nuggets, who wasted a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win after Minnesota lost to Washington. The Spurs had six players score in double figures as they won a regular-season game in Denver for the first time since Jan. 5, 2017.
— Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 21 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz clinched a playoff berth with a 121-115 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Jordan Clarkson also finished with 22 points for Utah. Donovan Mitchell added 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Hassan Whiteside tallied 14 points and 10 boards off the bench. Jaren Jackson, Jr. scored 28 points for the Grizzlies. Tyus Jones added 24 points and Desmond Bane had 23 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Jackson made a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute of regulation and Kyle Anderson put back Bane’s airball on a 3-pointer before the buzzer to force overtime.
— Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a rather quiet performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The Bucks haven’t been on a run like this since Don Nelson’s teams won seven consecutive division titles in the 1980s. They took control early and came away with an easy win even though DeMar DeRozan scored 40 for Chicago. Antetokounmpo, trying to overtake LeBron James and Joel Embiid in a tight race for his first scoring title, finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. But the two-time MVP started slow and spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench after picking up his fifth foul. Khris Middleton scored 19.
— Tyler Herro scored 35 points off the bench and the Miami Heat moved closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 144-115 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Miami won its fifth straight and posted the second-highest point total in franchise history, while Charlotte allowed 144 for the second consecutive game. Jimmy Butler added 27 points for the Heat, who need to win one of their two remaining games to secure the top spot in the East. Miami finished 23 of 42 from 3-point range. Herro was 8 of 14 from behind the arc and tied Dwyane Wade’s single-game record for points by a Heat reserve. Miles Bridges scored 29 points for Charlotte.
— Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Scottie Barnes had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors clinched a playoff berth by beating the Atlanta Hawks 118-108. Chris Boucher scored 18 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 14, Fred VanVleet 12, and Precious Achiuwa 11. Toronto has won 12 of 16. Trae Young had 26 points and 15 assists for the Hawks, who lost for the first time in six games and locked themselves into a play-in berth. Atlanta remains 1 1/2 games behind seventh-place Cleveland.
— Kyrie Irving scored 42 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Houston Rockets 118-105 on improve their position in the race for play-in seeding. Irving had 17 points in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant added 18 points, Bruce Brown had 15 and Cam Thomas 13 for the Nets. With Cleveland, Atlanta and Charlotte all losing, the Nets climbed into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, just 1 1/2 games behind the Cavaliers. The No. 7 seed hosts a game to open the tournament.
— Mo Bamba had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Ignas Brazdeikis scored 20 off the bench and the Orlando Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-115 to stop a six-game losing streak. Darius Garland had 27 points and 10 assists, and Lauri Markkanen added 25 points for the injury-riddled Cavaliers, who have dropped eight of 10. Cleveland is trying to hold onto seventh place in the Eastern Conference with two regular-season games remaining.
— Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points, including 12 in the third quarter as Washington took control, and the Wizards pulled away for a 132-114 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota is in seventh place in the Western Conference, almost out of time to climb above the cut and avoid the play-in tournament with only three regular-season games remaining.
— Jaylen Hoard had career-highs of 24 points and 21 rebounds to help the Oklahoma City Thunder top the Portland Trail Blazers 98-94. Oklahoma City improved to 4-0 against the Trail Blazers this season. The Trail Blazers lost their eighth straight.
Bulls’ Ball suffers setback in recovery from knee surgery
UNDATED (AP) — Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball experienced another setback in his recovery from surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee, raising more doubt about whether he will play again this season. Coach Billy Donovan says the next step will probably be a “meeting of the minds” in the next day or two. Ball has not played since Jan. 14.
