The NBA is heading into its last two weeks of the push to the post-season, with groups jostling for playoff berths and seeding. In one of many standout video games of the week, the Chicago Bulls took on the Los Angeles Lakers in famous person LeBron James’s return from a 13-game harm absence. Regardless of James scoring 19 factors off the bench, the Bulls received 118-108 to tighten their grip on the ultimate Jap Convention play-in spot. Zach LaVine had 32 factors for the Bulls, with DeMar DeRozan including 17 factors.
The Lakers slipped from eighth to ninth within the Western Convention, half a recreation forward of Oklahoma Metropolis and half a recreation behind New Orleans and Minnesota.
James missed 4 weeks in the course of the Lakers’ run at a playoff berth resulting from proper foot soreness, and for under the second time in his 20-year, 1,958-game NBA profession, James wasn’t a starter, coming in halfway by way of the primary quarter. The Lakers are nonetheless with out D’Angelo Russell, who missed his second straight recreation with a proper hip harm. They went 8-5 in James’ absence.
In different information, the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched their first playoff berth since 2018 with a 108-91 victory over the Houston Rockets. It is the primary time Cleveland has made the playoffs with out James since 1998. Jarrett Allen had 24 factors and 14 rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell scored 22 for the Cavaliers, who’re closing in on locking up the No. 4 spot within the Jap Convention and home-court benefit within the first spherical. They’ve received 9 of 11 video games.
In the meantime, the Boston Celtics saved the stress on Milwaukee within the race for the highest seed within the East with a 137-93 dwelling rout of the San Antonio Spurs, with Jaylen Brown scoring 41 factors and flattening 13 rebounds. In Atlanta, Ja Morant returned to the Memphis beginning lineup after coming off the bench in his first two video games since suspension and scored 27 factors to steer the Grizzlies to a 123-119 victory over the Hawks, pushing Memphis’ successful streak to 6 video games.
The Dallas Mavericks’ downward spiral continued with a 110-104 loss to the Hornets in Charlotte, the place Mavs star Luka Doncic acquired his sixteenth technical foul of the season, which is able to set off an automated one-game suspension. After failing to make a basket within the first quarter, Doncic completed with 40 factors, however it wasn’t sufficient to stave off a second loss in three days to the hapless Hornets, who’re second-to-last within the Jap Convention.
Within the last recreation of the day, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors 99-96. The sport was determined with 11 seconds left when Karl-Anthony Cities took benefit of Kyle Anderson’s steal from Draymond Inexperienced to empty the successful three-pointer.