Toronto’s playoff drought is officially over after the Raptors dominated the Brooklyn Nets 136-101 on Sunday, securing their first postseason berth in two years.
Scottie Barnes led the charge with a stellar triple-double performance, contributing 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. This marked Barnes’ third triple-double this season and ninth of his professional career, helping Toronto (46-36) lock up the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Raptors will now face the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in their opening playoff series, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday in Cleveland.
Toronto received strong offensive support from multiple players in the blowout victory. RJ Barrett led all scorers with 26 points, while Brandon Ingram contributed 25 points. Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poeltl each added 11 points, and A.J. Lawson chipped in 10 points. Immanuel Quickley managed four points and five assists before sitting out the second half due to hamstring tightness.
For Brooklyn (20-62), which has already been eliminated from playoff contention, Chaney Johnson posted 16 points and 13 rebounds. Tyson Etienne topped the Nets’ scoring with 20 points, E.J. Liddell added 17 points, and Ben Saraf contributed 15 points while fouling out.
76ers 126, Bucks 106
Tyrese Maxey exploded for 16 of his game-high 21 points during the third quarter, powering host Philadelphia past Milwaukee in what may have been Doc Rivers’ final game coaching the Bucks.
According to league sources, Milwaukee and the 64-year-old Rivers are exploring the possibility of him transitioning to a front office role for the 2026-27 season after coaching parts of three seasons with the franchise. Rivers is set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as a coach this August. Quentin Grimes knocked down four three-pointers and scored 20 points for Philadelphia, which has won consecutive games and earned a spot in the play-in tournament. The seventh-seeded 76ers will host eighth-seeded Orlando on Wednesday. Star center Joel Embiid remained sidelined while recovering from appendix surgery.
Milwaukee’s AJ Green made history by draining five three-pointers to finish the season with 232 made threes, surpassing Ray Allen’s franchise single-season record of 229 set in 2001-02. Green shot 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc in the first half for 19 points but was held scoreless after intermission.
Celtics 113, Magic 108
Baylor Scheierman erupted for a career-best 30 points, leading Boston past visiting Orlando in both teams’ regular season finale.
Having already locked up the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, Boston rested eight players, including their top seven scorers. The Celtics’ first playoff opponent will be determined by the play-in tournament, facing either the Magic or Philadelphia 76ers for the seventh seed. Boston fielded an unusual starting lineup of Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, Jordan Wash, Luka Garza, and Scheierman.
The defeat snapped Orlando’s five-game winning streak and three-game road winning streak. The Magic earned the eighth seed in the play-in tournament and will travel to face the seventh-seeded 76ers on Wednesday. The victor advances to face Boston, while the loser will host the winner of Friday’s 9/10 matchup.
Heat 143, Hawks 117
Bam Adebayo delivered 25 points and 10 rebounds as host Miami cruised past Atlanta in both teams’ regular season closer.
Miami also received 26 points and five assists from Jaime Jaquez Jr., plus 25 points from Norman Powell, who returned after missing time with a groin injury. The Heat will next travel to Charlotte for their opening play-in tournament game. Miami, which went 5-10 over their final 15 contests, is making their fourth consecutive play-in appearance.
Atlanta, having already secured their first playoff spot since 2023, rested their entire starting five plus three bench players. Veteran Buddy Hield paced the Hawks with a game-high 31 points, while Corey Kispert added 21 points.
Rockets 132, Grizzlies 101
Clint Capela delivered a double-double in his third start of the season while Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard combined for 39 points as host Houston concluded the regular season with a victory over undermanned Memphis.
The Rockets finished their campaign winning nine of their final 10 games. With the fifth seed in the Western Conference already secured, Houston rested four starters for their finale: Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. Capela posted a season-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Eason contributed 20 points and eight rebounds while Sheppard added 19 points.
Memphis played with just seven available players. Dariq Whitehead scored a career-high 26 points, while Rayan Rupert (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Jahmai Mashack (11 points, 11 assists) both recorded double-doubles for the Grizzlies, who finished the season losing 21 of their final 23 games.
Nuggets 128, Spurs 118
Denver’s Nikola Jokic tallied 23 points and eight rebounds in just over 18 minutes of action — all in the first half — as the visiting Nuggets rolled past San Antonio in both playoff-bound teams’ regular season finale.
The Nuggets secured the third seed in the Western Conference and will host sixth-seeded Minnesota for the opening two games of their best-of-seven first-round series. Denver concluded the regular season with 12 consecutive victories and won three of four meetings against the Spurs this year. Jokic played the minimum required minutes to reach the league’s 65-game threshold for postseason award eligibility.
Victor Wembanyama sat out for San Antonio, which had already clinched the second seed in the West and had little incentive to play their star. The Spurs will host the winner of Tuesday’s 7/8 play-in game between Phoenix and Portland for the first two games of their opening playoff series. San Antonio saw their three-game winning streak end but finished with a 62-20 record, their best mark since going 67-15 in 2015-16.
Cavaliers 130, Wizards 117
Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored a career-high 26 points and rookie Tyrese Proctor collected 22 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists as playoff-bound Cleveland defeated visiting Washington.
Jaylon Tyson contributed 18 points and rookie Tristan Enaruna had a season-best 15 points for Cleveland, which earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers will have home-court advantage over fifth-place Toronto in their opening playoff series.
Rookie guard Jamir Watkins scored a career-high 24 points for Washington, which finished with the league’s worst record. Bub Carrington scored 20 points and dished nine assists, while Sharife Cooper added 20 points and six assists off the bench. Cleveland had eight players reach double figures in scoring.
Pistons 133, Pacers 121
Eastern Conference champion Detroit completed just the third 60-win regular season in franchise history, leading from start to finish in a victory over Indiana in Indianapolis.
With the East’s top seed and home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs already secured, Detroit limited their entire starting lineup to under 26 minutes in the regular season finale. That was sufficient time for Paul Reed to make franchise history, becoming the first Pistons player ever to score 25-plus points on perfect field goal shooting. Reed scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-11 shooting.
The Pacers concluded the worst season by winning percentage in franchise history. Quenton Jackson and Obi Toppin each led Indiana with 21 points, Kobe Brown added 20, and Ethan Thompson contributed 18. Micah Potter finished with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Hornets 110, Knicks 96
Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, and Coby White each scored 19 points as visiting Charlotte secured the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with a victory over New York.
The Hornets will host Miami in a No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game on Tuesday. Kon Knueppel finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
New York had nothing at stake after already clinching the East’s third seed. With most regulars resting, the Knicks started Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Mikal Bridges, Mohamed Diawara, and Ariel Hukporti. Bridges extended his consecutive games played streak to 638 — eighth-longest in NBA history — with a 23-second appearance. New York will face sixth-seeded Atlanta in a first-round series beginning Saturday.
Mavericks 149, Bulls 128
Ryan Nembhard recorded the second-most assists in a single game in franchise history as Dallas defeated visiting Chicago.
Nembhard narrowly missed a triple-double in the season finale, posting 15 points, nine rebounds, and 23 assists. Only current Dallas coach Jason Kidd, with 25 assists in a double-overtime game in February 1996, has more for the Mavericks. Cooper Flagg scored 10 points before his outstanding rookie season ended with 10:11 remaining in the second quarter after he sprained his left ankle on an awkward landing while pursuing an offensive rebound.
Rob Dillingham led Chicago with 25 points. Collin Sexton added 19, Leonard Miller had 17, and Lachlan Olbrich recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Timberwolves 132, Pelicans 126
Rookie big man Joan Beringer set career highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds as Minnesota held on for a victory over New Orleans in Minneapolis.
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points for the Timberwolves, who relied heavily on young players and reserves in their regular season finale. Zyon Pullin contributed 19 points off the bench, while Joe Ingles capitalized on a rare start to post a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. Minnesota was already locked into the sixth playoff seed in the Western Conference and will face third-seeded Denver, beginning Saturday in Colorado.
Rookie Jeremiah Fears scored 36 points on 12-of-29 shooting to pace New Orleans. Fellow rookie Derik Queen finished with 30 points and 22 rebounds, and Micah Peavy scored 21 points.
Suns 135, Thunder 103
Jamaree Bouyea scored a career-high 27 points to help Phoenix close the regular season with a road victory over Oklahoma City as both teams, with their playoff positions already determined, rested most of their starters and key rotation players.
Phoenix’s Ryan Dunn scored a season-high 20 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field with a career-high-tying 11 rebounds and career-high five assists. Koby Brea added 20 points off the bench for the Suns. Brea had scored just 25 points total in his first 11 NBA appearances. Rookie center Khaman Maluach had career highs of 18 points and tied his career high with 14 rebounds off the bench.
Branden Carlson tied his career high with 26 points to lead Oklahoma City while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Payton Sandfort added 23 points off the bench. The Thunder earned the top overall seed in the NBA playoffs. Phoenix is the seventh seed and will open the play-in tournament at home Tuesday against eighth-seeded Portland.
Lakers 131, Jazz 107
Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton each posted 22-point, 10-rebound double-doubles to help Los Angeles defeat visiting Utah in their regular season finale.
LeBron James completed his 23rd regular season, finishing with 18 points in 17 minutes for the Lakers, who earned the fourth seed in next week’s Western Conference playoffs and will face Houston in the opening round. Dalton Knecht scored 17 points, Nick Smith Jr. added 12, and Bronny James chipped in 11 for Los Angeles, which finished with their most wins in a season since the 2010-11 campaign (57).
Oscar Tshiebwe led Utah with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh each added 15 points. Cody Williams and Bez Mbeng both scored 14 points and Blake Hinson had 10 for the Jazz, which recorded their second 60-loss season in franchise history and second consecutive.
Clippers 115, Warriors 110
Los Angeles sent a message to their play-in opponent, riding Bennedict Mathurin’s 20 points and strong defense to a home victory over Golden State in an otherwise meaningless regular season finale.
The Clippers lost a tiebreaker with eighth-place Portland and dropped to ninth for play-in purposes, where they’ll host the 10th-place Warriors on Wednesday. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
John Collins supported Mathurin with 18 points, and both Mathurin and Collins grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, while Mathurin also dished a game-high eight assists. In just his third game after missing 27 straight with a sore right knee, Stephen Curry led Golden State with a game-high 24 points.
Trail Blazers 122, Kings 110
Deni Avdija recorded 25 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds as Portland secured the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a victory over visiting Sacramento in both teams’ regular season finale.
Jrue Holiday added 23 points and seven rebounds for Portland, which will play beyond the regular season for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Trail Blazers will visit seventh-seeded Phoenix on Tuesday in the play-in round. The winner advances directly to the Western Conference playoffs against second-seeded San Antonio while the loser gets a second chance on Friday.
Precious Achiuwa registered 27 points and 11 rebounds and Nique Clifford added 24 points and seven rebounds for Sacramento. Maxime Raynaud had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Kings (22-60), which finished with the second-most losses in franchise history. Sacramento went 17-65 in 2008-09.
