NBA roundup: Pistons fall to Hawks despite Malachi Flynn’s 50

Jalen Johnson recorded the first triple-double of his career and the Atlanta Hawks clinched a spot in the play-in tournament with a 121-113 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

Johnson scored a career-high-tying 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting while grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out a career-high 11 assists. Dejounte Murray was the last Hawk to record a triple-double, doing so on Nov. 5, 2022.

The Pistons stayed close because of a 50-point performance by Malachi Flynn. He was 18-for-25 from the field, hitting five 3-pointers, and set a franchise record for most points scored by a reserve.

The Hawks, winners of six of their past seven games, moved into a tie with the idle Chicago Bulls for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The victory gave Atlanta a three-game sweep of the season series with the Pistons and extended its winning streak vs. Detroit to seven games.

Celtics 135, Thunder 100

Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots to help Boston clinch the No. 1 overall seed and secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, beating Oklahoma City at home.

Porzingis, who was 11 of 14 from the field, has scored at least 17 points in each of his past 13 games. Jayson Tatum added 24 points and Jaylen Brown added 23 for Boston.

Oklahoma City played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad contusion) and Jalen Williams (ankle sprain), the team’s top two scorers. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a team-high 30.3 points per game, and Williams is averaging 19.5 points per contest.

Timberwolves 133, Raptors 85

Anthony Edwards had 28 points and six assists and Minnesota pulled away for a demolition of Toronto in Minneapolis.

Naz Reid added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won their second game in as many nights. Rudy Gobert finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick and Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 16 points apiece to lead the Raptors, who lost their 15th game in a row. The franchise’s worst skid was a 17-game run during the 1997-98 season.

Lakers 125, Wizards 120

Anthony Davis had 35 points to go along with 18 rebounds and all five Los Angeles starters scored in double figures as the Lakers capped a 5-1 road trip with a win at Washington.

Reserves only accounted for 12 of Los Angeles’ points, with LeBron James supplying 25 points and Rui Hachimura posting 19 on 9-of-12 shooting.

The starters’ contributions gave Los Angeles its eighth win in the past nine games while comfortably keeping the Lakers in a Western Conference play-in spot, five games ahead of Houston, the first team outside play-in position.

Grizzlies 111, Bucks 101

Jaren Jackson Jr. put up 35 points as Memphis earned a victory at Milwaukee.

GG Jackson added 15 points and 12 boards for the Grizzlies, who completed a sweep of the two-game season series with the Bucks. Jordan Goodwin contributed 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.

Brook Lopez led Milwaukee with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as the Bucks played without Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Patrick Beverley.

Suns 122, Cavaliers 101

Devin Booker recorded 40 points and eight assists and Kevin Durant added 32 points, seven assists and six rebounds as Phoenix cruised past visiting Cleveland.

Royce O’Neale had 17 points and Bol Bol scored 15 points off the bench as the Suns moved into the sixth and last automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference. Phoenix is tied with New Orleans but holds the tiebreaker edge after beating the Pelicans on Monday.

Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points, Evan Mobley had 20 points and nine rebounds and Jarrett Allen also scored 20 points for the Cavaliers, who have dropped six of their past nine games.

Nets 115, Pacers 111

Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 27 points as the Nets defeated Indiana in New York, preventing the Pacers from moving into sole possession of a guaranteed playoff spot.

Jalen Wilson sank two free throws with seven seconds remaining to seal the victory after Tyrese Haliburton hit a 3-pointer to keep the Pacers in the game. There were four lead changes and two ties during the tightly contested fourth quarter, with neither team leading by more than six points during the frame.

The loss leaves Indiana tied for the sixth and final automatic Eastern Conference playoff position with the Miami Heat. With the Atlanta Hawks’ win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, the Nets were officially eliminated from postseason contention.

Trail Blazers 89, Hornets 86

Deandre Ayton’s 24 points and Scoot Henderson’s 22 points helped visiting Portland beat Charlotte and snap a 10-game losing streak.

After Henderson missed two free throws with 18.5 seconds left, the Hornets had a chance to take the lead but Brandon Miller missed on a drive in the waning seconds. Walker made two free throws for the game’s final points.

Earlier in the day, Steve Clifford said he will be stepping down as Hornets coach at the end of the season and will transition to a front office role with the organization.

Magic 117, Pelicans 108

Paolo Banchero led the way with 32 points, Wendell Carter Jr. was the game’s top rebounder as part of a double-double and Orlando scored a key victory in its battle for playoff position with a win over host New Orleans.

The Wagner brothers combined for 42 points — Franz with 24 in a starting role and Moritz with 18 off the bench — for the Magic, who won a third straight to move a half-game ahead of the idle New York Knicks) in their battle for the No. 4 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

CJ McCollum had a season-high 36 points for the Pelicans, who dropped their third game in a row and into the seventh slot in the West.

–Field Level Media/Reuters