(SportsDirect) – Heat 105, Magic 93
Dwyane Wade collected 21 points and 10 assists in 23 minutes as Miami closed out the regular season with its eighth straight victory.
Wade played while LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers got one more day of rest prior to the start of the playoffs. Mike Miller also scored 21 points for the Heat, who finish with NBA’s best record at 65-16.
Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 13 rebounds as the Magic lost their third in a row to finish with the NBA’s worst record at 20-62.
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Bucks 95, Thunder 89
John Henson scored a season-high 28 points to go with 16 rebounds and visiting Milwaukee stormed past under-manned Oklahoma City in the fourth quarter.
Brandon Jennings added 17 points for the Bucks (38-44), who were locked in as No. 8 seed in the East, where they will open the playoffs against top-seeded Miami Heat. The Thunder, No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, rested star forward Kevin Durant, and All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook played just seven minutes.
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Grizzlies 86, Jazz 70
Zach Randolph had 25 points and 19 rebounds as host Memphis defeated Utah to eliminate the Jazz from the Western Conference playoff race and clinch a berth in the postseason for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Mike Conley added 14 points as the Grizzlies (56-26) reached 30 games above .500 for the first time in franchise history. Al Jefferson had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz.
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Lakers 99, Rockets 95 (OT)
Steve Blake scored a season-high 24 points and Pau Gasol had a triple-double with 17 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists as host Los Angeles outlasted Houston to claim the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Dwight Howard had 16 points and 18 rebounds as the Lakers averted a first-round clash with Oklahoma City and instead will face second-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
James Harden scored 30 points to pace Houston, who settled for the No. 8 seed and will get a first-round playoff test against Harden’s former team, the reigning Western champion Oklahoma City.
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Knicks 98, Hawks 92
Chris Copeland scored 33 points as host New York, the second seeds in the Eastern Conference, won its regular-season finale and dropped Atlanta to the No. 6 seed in the East.
James White added 20 points in a game that resembled a Summer League contest with reserves from both sides getting all the playing time. Mike Scott had 23 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta.
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Nuggets 118, Suns 98
Wilson Chandler scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half as Denver clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and ended the regular season on a 23-game home winning streak.
Andre Iguodala scored 20 points and Ty Lawson added 14 points and seven assists for the Nuggets. Denver finished a team-record 38-3 at home – tied for the seventh-best record in NBA history.
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Nets 103, Pistons 99
Brook Lopez posted 20 points and nine rebounds as Brooklyn used a late first-quarter surge to down visiting Detroit.
Andray Blatche scored 15 points and Reggie Evans added 11 rebounds for the Nets, who secured the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference over the weekend. Will Bynum led all scorers with 23 points off the bench for Detroit.
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Bulls 95, Wizards 92
Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 15 rebounds as Chicago clinched the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and a first-round series with Brooklyn with a victory over visiting Washington.
The Wizards gave the Bulls all they could handle despite being short-handed, but Taj Gibson blocked A.J. Price’s potential game-tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go to preserve the victory. Price had come off the bench to score a career-high 24 points to lead the Wizards.
