NBA roundup: Pacers rally from 27 down to dispatch Cavaliers

Miami Herald

14-04-2025

The fourth-place Indiana Pacers rallied from 27 down on the road – the biggest comeback in team history – to beat the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers 126-118 in a battle of Eastern Conference playoff teams Sunday.
Two-way player RayJ Dennis scored seven straight points in the second overtime, and rookie Johnny Furphy added six points in the second extra period for the Pacers, who reached 50 wins for the first time since 2013-14. Quenton Jackson led Indiana with 21 points, and Tony Bradley collected 14 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. The No. 4 Pacers take on No. 5 seed Milwaukee in the opening round.
The Cavaliers rested nine of their top 10 scorers, including injured Donovan Mitchell (ankle) along with fellow All-Stars Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. No. 1 seed Cleveland will face the No. 8 seed in the East, which won't be determined until the conclusion of the play-in tournament.
Hawks 117, Magic 105
Keaton Wallace had a triple-double with 15 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds to lift host Atlanta over Orlando. The teams will meet again Tuesday in Orlando in the play-in tournament, with the winner claiming the seventh seed and a first-round match-up against Boston.
It was a day for the reserves to log plenty of minutes as both teams rested their primary players. Wallace is in his fourth year as a pro but spent most of that time in the G League before making his NBA debut in October 2024. Terance Mann led the Hawks with 19 points. Jacob Toppin had a career-high 17 points for Atlanta, including five 3-pointers.
Anthony Black led the Magic with 20 points and Jett Howard had 16 off the bench. Orlando finished the regular season 41-41, Atlanta 40-42. The teams split four regular-season meetings.
Celtics 93, Hornets 86
Payton Pritchard tossed in a game-high 34 points to help Boston defeat visiting Charlotte.
As expected, the playoff-bound Celtics rested most of their top players. Boston received 15 points from Sam Hauser and 11 points and eight rebounds from Luke Kornet.
Charlotte, which trailed by 21 early, tied the game 86-86 on a Moussa Diabate layup with 2:13 to play, but Boston regained control by scoring the game's final seven points. Josh Okogie and Jusuf Nurkic each scored a team-high 14 points for the Hornets.
Thunder 115, Pelicans 100
Aaron Wiggins scored 28 points, Branden Carlson had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and visiting Oklahoma City never trailed during a victory over New Orleans.
Kenrich Williams had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Isaiah Joe scored 17 and Dillon Jones had 13 points and 10 rebounds as the NBA-best Thunder finished the winningest regular season in franchise history on a four-game winning streak. Oklahoma City dressed just nine players and didn't play any of its starters.
Antonio Reeves scored 20 points, Jamal Cain had 18, Lester Quinones had 17, Keion Brooks Jr. had 15, Jose Alvarado scored 14 and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl added 10 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who finished their second-worst season in franchise history on a seven-game losing streak. New Orleans dressed just eight players for the third consecutive game.
Trail Blazers 109, Lakers 81
Dalano Banton matched a season high with 23 points to fuel host Portland to a convincing victory over Los Angeles in the teams' regular-season finale.
While the Trail Blazers have long since been removed from playoff contention, the third-seeded Lakers were able to rest stars Luka Doncic, LeBron James (left groin strain) and Austin Reaves, among others, ahead of their first-round playoff series against the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
Banton joined Toumani Camara by sinking four 3-pointers for Portland. Matisse Thybulle scored 15 points, Camara finished with 14, Rayan Rupert had 13 and Donovan Clingan collected 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Dalton Knecht recorded 27 points, Shake Milton had 16 and Jordan Goodwin added 12 off the bench to pace the Lakers.
Kings 109, Suns 98
Sacramento capitalized on visiting Phoenix having a depleted roster and secured home-court advantage for its upcoming Western Conference play-in matchup.
Sacramento was already locked into a No. 9 vs. No. 10 contest with Dallas in the play-in. But with the Kings pulling out of a two-game slump, and the Mavericks losing a blowout to Memphis, Sacramento draws hosting duties. The Kings host the Mavericks on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to play the loser of Tuesday's play-in game between the host Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jonas Valanciunas came off the bench to lead the Kings with 22 points and 10 boards, while Domantas Sabonis posted his 62nd double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Zach LaVine's 16 points ended a five-game streak of 25-plus point performances. Playing without Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns were led by Grayson Allen's 20 points and Tyus Jones' 17 points.
Wizards 119, Heat 118
Bub Carrington made a heavily contested floater at the buzzer to lead visiting Washington over short-handed Miami.
Down seven with four minutes remaining, the Heat went on an 11-0 run. They took a 118-114 lead with 8.5 seconds left, but Justin Champagnie cut it to one with a quick 3-pointer. Miami's Josh Christopher then committed a costly turnover in the backcourt to give Washington the ball back with 4.4 seconds left, setting up Carrington's game-winner.
The Heat will visit the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in the play-in tournament, and if they win, they advance to play on Friday against the loser of Tuesday's matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic. If the Heat win both games, they will be the No. 8 seed and play a first-round series against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
Bulls 122, 76ers 102
Kevin Huerter scored 18 points as visiting Chicago topped Philadelphia in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Talen Horton-Tucker chipped in 17 points and Jalen Smith had 12 points and 10 boards for Chicago. The Bulls came into the day already locked into the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference and will host the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament on Wednesday. Chicago sat Josh Giddey (wrist) and limited the minutes of its other key players.
Lonnie Walker IV scored 31 points to pace Philadelphia, which missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. The Sixers were ravaged by injuries to key players and were forced to give significant playing time to players such as Jared Butler (19 points) and Adem Bona (16).
Knicks 113, Nets 105
Landry Shamet came off the bench to score 29 points, and short-handed New York rode a 17-0 third-quarter run to hold off host Brooklyn in the regular-season finale for both teams.
New York, already locked into the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed for the playoffs, played without stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, the latter of whom recently returned from injury. Mikal Bridges extended his consecutive games streak to 556, but only after appearing for the first six seconds vs. the Nets.
Tyrese Martin and Trendon Watford each scored 20 points to lead the Nets, and both grabbed seven rebounds.
Grizzlies 132, Mavericks 97
Lamar Stevens, Marvin Bagley III, Cam Spencer and Jay Huff combined for 101 points to lift host Memphis to a win over Dallas.
Stevens had 31 points and six rebounds, Bagley added 25 points and 12 boards, Spencer contributed 23 points and seven assists and Huff finished with 22 points, six rebounds and six blocks in the regular-season finale for both teams. Daniel Gafford paced the Mavericks with 20 points and seven rebounds. Jaden Hardy scored 17 and Max Christie had 14.
Both teams rested the majority of their starters and key reserves ahead of Tuesday's play-in tournament. Memphis will play as the West's No. 8 seed against No. 7 Golden State. Dallas, as the 10th seed, will face No. 9 Sacramento.
Bucks 140, Pistons 133 (OT)
Pat Connaughton saved 10 of his career-high 43 points for overtime, Kyle Kuzma chipped in with 22 in just 12 minutes and Milwaukee outlasted visiting Detroit in a meaningless regular-season finale that took a back seat to Malik Beasley's pursuit of the NBA's 3-point crown.
The Pistons' Beasley, who began the day with 312 3-pointers, one fewer than league leader Anthony Edwards, buried seven of 11 attempts from deep in just 19 minutes to move ahead by six. However, Edwards hit seven 3-pointers to take the title 320-319 in the Minnesota Timberwolves' win over the Utah Jazz.
The Pistons entered the game locked into sixth playoff position in the East, where they will take on the third-seeded New York Knicks. They rested regular starters Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson. Likewise, the Bucks knew beforehand that they'd finish fifth in the East and draw the No. 4 Indiana Pacers in the first round. They sat out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, as well as Damian Lillard, who hopes to return from a calf injury in time for the postseason.
Timberwolves 116, Jazz 105
Anthony Edwards made the most of a second chance, scoring 43 points to help Minnesota clinch a playoff spot by knocking off Utah in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves earned the sixth seed in the West playoffs and will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Edwards was allowed to play in the regular-season finale after the NBA rescinded his 18th technical foul -- and the accompanying automatic one-game suspension -- that he'd been assessed Friday against Brooklyn.
Brice Sensabaugh scored 22 points as the Jazz finished the season with the NBA's worst record (17-65) after Washington's upset win at Miami earlier in the day.
Spurs 125, Raptors 118
Keldon Johnson scored 23 points off the bench and Stephon Castle added 20, which included a late basket and free throw, as host San Antonio roared back in the second half to beat Toronto in the season finale for both teams.
Neither the Spurs nor the Raptors qualified for the postseason. San Antonio has not been in the playoffs since 2019, while the Raptors failed to reach the postseason for the third straight year.
Harrison Barnes added 18 points for San Antonio while Chris Paul hit for 15 and Julian Champagnie scored 14. Toronto's Scottie Barnes led all scorers with 35 points and added 11 rebounds and eight assists. Jamison Battle added 25 points and Jonathon Mogbo racked up 14 rebounds and 10 assists -- missing a triple-double by one point.
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