The Atlanta Hawks secured an NBA playoff berth with a 124-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday as the Boston Celtics locked up the Eastern Conference second seed with a lopsided win of their own.
CJ McCollum scored a game-high 29 points for the Hawks, who came into the contest at sixth in the East and still in danger of falling into the play-in tournament that will see the seventh- through 10th-placed teams battle for the last two playoff berths in each conference.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson scored 18 points apiece, and Dyson Daniels added a triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists for the Hawks, who led 61-48 at halftime and surged away with a 16-0 scoring run late in the third quarter.
“The goal was getting in the playoffs,” McCollum said. “Now for us it’s about getting healthy, making sure everybody is ready to go, and we can ramp up.”
The Cavaliers, assured of the fourth seed in the East and home court advantage in the first round, rested Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.
Celtics secure second seed
The Celtics, who had missed a chance to secure the second seed with a loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday, got the job done with a record-equaling 29 three-pointers in a 144-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
It’s the second time in two seasons the Celtics have matched the record of 29 treys, first set by the Milwaukee Bucks in December 2020 and also matched this season by the Memphis Grizzlies.
All 30 teams played on the penultimate day of regular-season action, with more than a dozen of those headed for the postseason still jostling for playoff or play-in position.
The Knicks secured the third seed in the East with a 112-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto slipped from fifth to sixth in the East with one game remaining and the same 45-36 record as the seventh-placed Orlando Magic, who beat the Chicago Bulls 127-103.
