Sixers clinch top seed in East, Luka Doncic leads Mavericks into playoffs: NBA round-up

Seth Curry scored 20 points and Shake Milton added 15 as hosts Philadelphia 76ers clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 122-97 victory over the undermanned Orlando Magic on Friday. Joel Embiid contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds while Ben Simmons had 13 points and nine assists for the Sixers, who will complete the 72-game regular season with another game against the Magic on Sunday. The Sixers played without key reserve Dwight Howard, who was suspended after being assessed his league-high 16th technical foul on Thursday. Ignas Brazdeikis led the reeling Magic (21-50) with a career-high 21 points, while RJ Hampton added 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Chasson Randle also scored 12 points. Cole Anthony and Mo Bamba had 11 each for the Magic, who have dropped six in a row. Dwayne Bacon went 0 for 11 from the field but made all four free throws. Luka Doncic recorded his 11th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Dallas Mavericks held off the Toronto Raptors to clinch a playoff spot. Kristaps Porzingis led the Mavericks with 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Dorian Finney-Smith went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points. Jalen Brunson went 8-of-11 from the floor for 19 points with five rebounds and four assists off the bench. Toronto rookie Jalen Harris, who scored a season-high 17 points on Thursday at Chicago, soared past that mark on Friday with a game-high 31 points. Fellow rookie Malachi Flynn posted a season-high 26 points, while Stanley Johnson finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds on Friday. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points to lead Utah past Oklahoma City and closer to clinching the top spot in the Western Conference. Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 18 rebounds to help the Jazz, who need either a win in Sunday's regular-season finale at Sacramento or a loss by Phoenix in one of their last two games – both at San Antonio – to lock up the top record in the NBA. Mike Conley returned after missing nine games with a hamstring injury, and in just over 16 minutes, he had 10 points and three assists. Svi Mykhailiuk led the Thunder with 19 points, while Theo Maledon and Gabriel Deck added 18 points apiece. The Thunder (21-50) have lost nine in a row. Russell Westbrook added to his career NBA triple-double record with his 183rd, helping Washington clinch a berth in the play-in round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating visiting Cleveland. Westbrook finished with 21 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds for the 10th-place Wizards, who could still finish as high as eighth in the conference if they beat Charlotte in their final game and Indiana drop their final two games. Collin Sexton scored a game-high 26 points for Cleveland but also committed six of their 17 turnovers. Jarrett Allen added 18 points and a game-best 14 rebounds, while Isaac Okoro hit for 17 points. Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double in less than 27 minutes on the court, finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Denver to a win at Detroit. The Nuggets and the Clippers are tied for third place in the Western Conference after Los Angeles fell to the Houston Rockets on Friday. Denver, who won their third game in a row, hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Clippers. The Pistons' Hamidou Diallo, who was listed as questionable due to health and safety protocols heading into the game, totalled 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Poole capped a career-best 38-point performance by driving for a layup with 21.4 seconds remaining as Golden State edged New Orleans in San Francisco. Despite resting Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors won their fifth straight game, all on their current six-game homestand to close the regular season. The Warriors kept pace with Memphis, setting up a showdown in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon that will determine the eighth and ninth positions in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Mychal Mulder had a career-best 28 points for the Warriors. The Pelicans' Nickeil Alexander-Walker went for a team-high 30 points and Naji Marshall posted career highs with 20 points and 13 rebounds. New Orleans were eliminated from the Western playoff race earlier in the week. Justise Winslow scored a season-high 25 points and matched his career best of 13 rebounds to help Memphis edge the visiting Sacramento Kings. Xavier Tillman contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Killian Tillie added a career-high 16 points as Memphis won their fifth straight game. The Grizzlies held out starters Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Anderson and key reserve Brandon Clarke to keep them fresh for Sunday's road clash with the Golden State Warriors. Louis King recorded career highs of 27 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento, who were eliminated from postseason contention on Thursday. Damian Jones posted season highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds, Justin James scored 16 points and Chimezie Metu added 15. Kelly Olynyk collected 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds as the Rockets ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Clippers in Houston. Seven players scored in double figures for Houston, who had lost 12 of 13 and 44 of 49. Jae'Sean Tate scored 20 points, Khyri Thomas had 17 points and Anthony Lamb also scored 17 off the bench. Luke Kennard scored 23 points, Jay Scrubb scored 17 in his third NBA game, and Serge Ibaka returned from a two-month absence caused by a back injury and scored 15 off the bench in 17 minutes for Los Angeles, which rested leading scorers Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Sixers clinch top seed in East, Luka Doncic leads Mavericks into playoffs: NBA round-up

Elsewhere, Westbrook adds another triple-double to his all-time NBA record and MVP favourite Jokic stars for Nuggets