NBA highlights: Celtics beats Hornets

Highlights of Saturday's NBA games.

Published : Apr 09, 2017 17:09 IST

Boston Celtics' Isaiah Thomas (4) drives between Charlotte Hornets' Jeremy Lamb (3) and Cody Zeller (40) on Saturday.
Boston Celtics' Isaiah Thomas (4) drives between Charlotte Hornets' Jeremy Lamb (3) and Cody Zeller (40) on Saturday.
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Boston Celtics' Isaiah Thomas (4) drives between Charlotte Hornets' Jeremy Lamb (3) and Cody Zeller (40) on Saturday.

Highlights of Saturday's NBA games.

Celtics 121, Hornets 114

Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points, and Boston completed a four-game season sweep over Charlotte, knocking Hornets out of playoff contention.

Celtics rolled to a 17-point halftime lead and led by 19 in the third quarter, but blew the entire lead and had to rally from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Thomas scored seven straight Boston points, including a 3-pointer to make it 116-111 with 1:22 remaining, in the decisive stretch.

Portland 101, Jazz 86

Damian Lillard poured in a career-high 59 points to lift Portland Trail Blazers past the Utah Jazz 101-86 on Saturday night at Moda Centre.

Lillard broke the franchise scoring record of 54 points set by Damon Stoudamire in 2005. Lillard sank 18 of 34 shots from the field, 9 of 14 from 3-point range and 14 of 16 from the foul line.

Warriors 123, Pelicans 101

After missing 19 games, Kevin Durant made a healthy and triumphant return, contributing 16 points, a game-high 10 rebounds and a team-high-tying six assists in Golden State's win over short-handed New Orleans.

Durant, who suffered a sprained left knee on Feb. 28, saw 31 minutes of action in Golden State's 14th consecutive win, the longest streak in the NBA this season.

Bucks 90, 76ers 82

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as Milwaukee clinched a playoff berth. Antetokounmpo notched eight of his points in the third quarter, when Bucks outscored Sixers 25-12 to take command.

Heat 106, Wizards 103

Hassan Whiteside had 30 points and 12 rebounds, and James Johnson hit the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left as Miami gave its playoff hopes a huge boost. Johnson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Miami, which improved to 3-0 over Washington this season and moved into a tie with Chicago for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Bulls owns the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series 2-1.

Pacers 127, Magic 112

Paul George scored 37 points and Indiana continued its late-season push to the playoffs by drilling Orlando. Pacers won its third consecutive game. It will finish the season against Sixers in Philadelphia and at home against Atlanta Hawks. Magic will miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

Clippers 98, Spurs 87

Chris Paul hit for 19 points and led six Los Angeles players in double figures as Clippers strolled past San Antonio. It was the final home game of the regular season for Spurs, which already clinched the second seed in the Western Conference in the playoffs as well as the second-best record in the league.

Nets 107, Bulls 106

Spencer Dinwiddie hit the tie-breaking free throws with 13.5 seconds remaining as Brooklyn rallied down the stretch and handed Chicago a what could be a devastating loss as Bulls tries to secure a spot in the post-season.

Dinwiddie scored 19 points to lead Nets along with rookie Caris LeVert. The reserve guard hit 6 of 9 shots, including a 3-pointer with 1:23 remaining that tied it at 101-101 and hit six free throws.

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