Los Angeles (AFP) – The New York Knicks, fueled by 40 points from Jalen Brunson, edged the Chicago Bulls 120-119 in overtime to grab the second seed in the Eastern Conference on the final day of the NBA regular season on Sunday.
The Knicks leapfrogged into second place over the Milwaukee Bucks, who fell 113-88 to the Orlando Magic as Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a third straight game with a calf injury.
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The Magic, led by 26 points and 11 rebounds from Paolo Banchero, avoided the play-in tournament, clinching the fifth seed ahead of the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers grabbed the sixth and final automatic playoff spot with an emphatic 157-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks and booked a first-round clash with the Bucks.
At Madison Square Garden, Brunson’s pull-up shot with 1:01 remaining in regulation tied it at 109-109.
Brunson fed Donte DiVincenzo for a go-ahead three-pointer with 3:13 left in overtime and the Knicks held on for their 50th win of the season.
Brunson tied the Knicks franchise record for most 30-point games in a single season, matching Patrick Ewing and Richie Guerin’s mark of 36 games of 30 or more.
All 30 teams were in action on the final day of the regular season, and 12 of the 15 games had playoff implications.
The Boston Celtics, already assured of the top seed in the East, closed the regular season with a 64th victory, 132-122 over the Washington Wizards.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who also had a shot at second place in the East, fell to the Charlotte Hornets 120-110 and finished fourth.
They will meet the Magic in the first round of the playoffs.
The Miami Heat, beaten by the Denver Nuggets in last year’s Finals, will have to go through the play-in, finishing eighth in the standings despite closing the season with a 118-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
On Wednesday, the Heat will take on the Philadelphia 76ers, who rested star big man Joel Embiid in a 107-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets that left them seventh in the East.
The winner will advance to the playoffs and the loser will take on the winner of the play-in clash between ninth-seeded Chicago and 10th-seeded Atlanta for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
There was plenty at stake in the West, where the defending champion Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and upstart Oklahoma City Thunder went into the day in a three-way tie atop the West.
It marked the first time that three teams went into their final games with the same record (56-25), all with a shot at the number one seed in a conference.
The Nuggets capped the regular season against the Grizzlies at Memphis, Minnesota hosted a Phoenix Suns team still fighting for the sixth and final direct-entry playoff spot and Oklahoma City hosted a Dallas Mavericks team locked into the fifth seed and a first-round clash with the Number four Los Angeles Clippers.
Other Western Conference games to watch included the Los Angeles Lakers at the New Orleans Pelicans, with the Lakers jockeying for a preferred play-in position and the Pels in the hunt for the final guaranteed playoff berth.
The play-in tournament starts on Tuesday, with four teams battling for the last two playoff spots in each conference.
The first round of the playoffs tips off on Saturday.
© 2024 AFP
