Hawks beat Cavaliers 120-118, help Bucks clinch Central Division

ATLANTA (AP) — Dejounte Murray sank three freethrows with 2:14 remaining to give Atlanta the lead and added afall-away jumper with less than a minute left to lead the Hawks toa 120-118 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesdaynight.

Murray led Atlanta with 29 points and Onyeka Okongwu added aseason-high 21. The Hawks remained tied with Toronto, which beatMiami 106-92 on Tuesday night, for the eighth-best record in theEastern Conference.

The Cavaliers held out starting forward Isaac Okoro (left kneesoreness) and center Jarrett Allen (strained right groin) and wereled by Donovan Mitchell’s 44 points. Mitchell, who surpassed 10,000career points, tied LeBron James’ Cavaliers record of10 games of40-or-more points in a season.

With Atlanta’s win, NBA- and Eastern Conference-leadingMilwaukee clinched the Central Division title.

WARRIORS 120, PELICANS 109

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry had 39 points with eight3-pointers, eight rebounds and eight assists, Jordan Poole added 21points and Golden State rallied past New Orleans.

Klay Thompson scored 17 and hit five 3s to set a single-seasoncareer high of 278, which leads the NBA. Draymond Green waswhistled for a double technical for tussling with Brandon Ingramlate in the second quarter — and Green’s foul was upgraded to aFlagrant 1. He already served a one-game suspension March 17 atAtlanta for his 16th technical.

The Warriors moved up a spot into sixth place in the crowdedWestern Conference standings, a half-game up on Minnesota and 1 1/2games ahead of New Orleans. The top six teams are guaranteedplayoff berths.

Ingram had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, TreyMurphy III scored 21 points and CJ McCollum added 15 for thePelicans, who came in riding a five-game winning streak.

GRIZZLIES 113, MAGIC 108

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 31 points and made 8of 10 free throws down the stretch, leading Memphis pastOrlando.

Bane’s free throws thwarted a last-minute rush by the Magic, ledby Franz Wagner, who ended up with 25 points, including nine in thefinal 1:10.

Xavier Tillman had 20 points for Memphis, while Luke Kennard andJaren Jackson Jr. finished with 16 points apiece. Jackson added 10rebounds and three blocks.

Ja Morant, the Grizzlies’ leading scorer, sat out the firstnight of a back-to-back with right thigh soreness.

Paolo Banchero finished with 24 points and Wendell Carter Jr.added 14 for the Magic.

HORNETS 137, THUNDER 134

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — P.J. Washington scored 22 of hiscareer-high 43 points in the fourth quarter, and Charlotte ralliedto beat Oklahoma City for its third straight win.

Three Thunder players scored career highs — Isaiah Joe with 33points and Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams with 31 each. ButWilliams and Giddey each missed one of two free throws in the final16 seconds, and Williams missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer thatwould have forced overtime.

It was a potentially costly loss for Oklahoma City. The Thunderwere looking to strengthen their position in the Western Conferenceplay-in race despite being short-handed. Oklahoma City guard ShaiGilgeous-Alexander, who entered the day fourth in the leagueaveraging 31.3 points per game, sat out with a sprained leftankle.

Charlotte was short-handed, too. Terry Rozier (right footdiscomfort) and Kelly Oubre (strained right shoulder) sat out forthe third straight game and Dennis Smith (sprained right toe) alsodid not play.

RAPTORS 106, HEAT 92

TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 26 points, Scottie Barneshad 22 points and a career-high 12 assists and Toronto beatMiami.

O.G. Anunoby scored 22 points, and Precious Achiuwa and FredVanVleet each had 12 as Toronto won for the 10th time in 11 homegames.

Tyler Herro scored 33 points and Bam Adebayo had 21 points and12 rebounds as Miami lost its second straight. The Heat are 15-22on the road.

Miami played without leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who satbecause of a sore neck.

WIZARDS 130, CELTICS 111

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis had 32 points and 13rebounds, and Washington boosted its flickering postseason hopeswith a victory over Boston.

The Wizards, playing without Bradley Beal (left knee soreness)and Kyle Kuzma (right ankle sprain), pulled within 2 1/2 games ofChicago for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.Washington has six games remaining in the regular season.

The Celtics had their three-game winning streak snapped. JaysonTatum led Boston with 28 points, and Jaylen Brown contributed 18points.

Deni Avdija matched a career high with 25 points and added 10rebounds for Washington. Monte Morris scored 19 points.