Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetkounmpo reached a major milestone in his career on the same night Payton Pritchard and Derrick White made Celtics history together with career performances.
For the third straight season, the Cleveland Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs, as James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo produced big-time offensive performances. | Photos: NBA, Bucks, Clippers
In an eight-game NBA Thursday, the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to punch a postseason ticket while a vintage James Harden showed up in Inglewood, and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo joined an exclusive company.
CAVS SEAL PLAYOFF SPOT; ANTETOKOUNMPO JOINS 20,000 POINT CLUB
- Cleveland Cavaliers (52-10) def. Miami Heat (29-32), 112-107: Donovan Mitchell and the league-best Cavaliers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot after holding off the Heat, extending their winning run to 12 games.
- Historic Cav-alanche: Besides punching a postseason ticket, Cleveland also joined the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks as the only teams in league history to post three 12-game winning streaks in a single season.
- Milwaukee Bucks (36-25) def. Dallas Mavericks (32-31), 137-107: Giannis Antetokounmpo bullied his way to 32 markers, becoming just the 52nd player ever to surpass 20,000 career points, as the Bucks rolled past the injury-hit Mavericks.
- Fear These Deers: With Antetokounmpo marking another major milestone, Damian Lillard added 34 markers, five assists, and five dimes for a fourth straight Milwaukee dub.
- Minnesota Timberwolves (35-29) def. Charlotte Hornets (14-47), 125-110: The Timberwolves have now won eight straight games when Julius Randle played, after the bulky lefty flirted with a triple-double outing of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists against the Hornets.
- Washington Wizards (12-49) def. Utah Jazz (15-47), 125-122: The Wizards secured their third win in the last five games while sending the Jazz to a third straight defeat.
HARDEN DROPS 50-BURGER; PRITCHARD, WHITE FIRE CAREER-HIGHS
- LA Clippers (33-29) def. Detroit Pistons (36-27), 123-115: James Harden turned back the clock with a vintage outing, unleashing a season-high 50 points to lead the Clippers in snapping a three-game skid.
- Boston Celtics (44-18) def. Portland Trail Blazers (28-35), 128-118: Payton Pritchard and Derrick White put on a shooting clinic en route to career outings, pushing the Celtics past the Trail Blazers.
- Double Trouble: Pritchard and White exploded for 43 and 41 markers respectively, becoming the first Celtic duo to both drop 40 or more points in a single game. The tandem also made league history as the only teammates so far to hit nine or more threes in a single game, combining for 19 treys.
- OKC Thunder (51-11) def. Memphis Grizzlies (38-24), 120-103: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed up his 51-point outing with a 41-point outburst — his 10th 40-point game of the season — en route to lifting the West no. 1 Thunder to a fifth successive dub at the Grizzlies’ expense.
- Denver Nuggets (40-22) def. Sacramento Kings (32-29), 116-110: The trio of Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic combined for 71 points, anchoring a strong Nuggets bounce back over the Domantas Sabonis-less Kings.