NBA roundup: Celtics clinch second seed, Mavs sweat over Dončić after regular season finale
Memphis, Tennessee - The Boston Celtics secured the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a huge 139-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the regular-season finale for both teams.
With the second seed in the Western Conference already secured, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins rested a number of starters including Ja Morant, Steven Adams, Dillon Brooks, and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke were listed as questionable and, while not ruled out, finished with DNPs.
Although the Celtics had a full complement in a game they needed to win, the weakened opposition did not cause tunnel vision, as they shared the ball to come up with 34 assists as a team.
Jayson Tatum came up with three of his own, along with 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting and nine rebounds to lead the way for the Celtics.
In an odd statistical quirk given the situation, the Grizz's John Konchar claimed the first triple-double of his career, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
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The Golden State Warriors clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with their 128-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Klay Thompson made seven three-pointers and scored 41 points for the Warriors, who have impressively managed to close out the season without Stephen Curry on a five-game winning streak.
While Jordan Poole's 22 points off seven-of-16 shooting lightened the load, Jonathan Kuminga again scored a critical 18 points off the bench and gave the team important balance.
Luka Dončić strained his left calf in the Dallas Mavericks' 130-120 win over the San Antonio Spurs, putting the Slovenian star's status in question for the playoffs.
The two-time All-Star would not have been eligible for a game that the Warriors win had made meaningless if the NBA had not rescinded his 16th technical foul of the season, which he earned in the previous game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Dončić led Dallas with 26 points, nine assists and eight rebounds but sat the second half, with his ability to play against the Utah Jazz in the playoffs now in doubt.
The Brooklyn Nets also finished strongly with a 134-126 victory over the Indiana Pacers and will face the Cleveland Cavaliers, 133-115 winners over the Milwaukee Bucks, in the play-in tournament. The defending NBA champions, meanwhile, will go up against the Chicago Bulls, who squeaked past the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-120.
The top-seeded Miami Heat took their foot off the gas against the Orlando Magic as the hosts finished on top, 125-111, while the Toronto Raptors lost 105-94 in NYC against the Knicks.
Joel Embiid clinched the NBA’s scoring title despite not playing in the Philadelphia 76ers' 118-106 win over the Detroit Pistons, and Trae Young put up another 28 points for the Atlanta Hawks to down the Houston Rockets 130-114.
The LA Lakers closed off a wretched season with a thrilling 146-141 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Cover photo: USA TODAY Sports