JALEN Johnson recorded the first triple-double of his career and the Atlanta Hawks clinched a spot in the play-in tournament with a 121-113 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
Johnson scored a career-high-tying 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting while grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out a career-high 11 assists. Dejounte Murray was the last Hawk to record a triple-double, doing so on Nov. 5, 2022.
The Pistons stayed close because of a 50-point performance by Malachi Flynn. He was 18-for-25 from the field, hitting five 3-pointers, and set a franchise record for most points scored by a reserve.
The Hawks, winners of six of their past seven games, moved into a tie with the idle Chicago Bulls for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The victory gave Atlanta a three-game sweep of the season series with the Pistons and extended its winning streak vs. Detroit to seven games.
In other games, it was the Celtics 135; Thunder 100; Wolves 133, Raptors 85; Lakers 125, Wizards 120; Grizzlies 111, Bucks 101; Suns 122, Cavs 101; Nets 115, Pacers 111; Blazers 89, Hornets 86; and Magic 117, Pelicans 108.
Celtics 135, Thunder 100
Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots to help Boston clinch the No. 1 overall seed and secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, beating Oklahoma City at home.
Porzingis, who was 11 of 14 from the field, has scored at least 17 points in each of his past 13 games. Jayson Tatum added 24 points and Jaylen Brown added 23 for Boston.
Oklahoma City played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad contusion) and Jalen Williams (ankle sprain), the team’s top two scorers. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a team-high 30.3 points per game, and Williams is averaging 19.5 points per contest.
Wolves 133, Raptors 85
Anthony Edwards had 28 points and six assists and Minnesota pulled away for a demolition of Toronto in Minneapolis.
Naz Reid added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won their second game in as many nights. Rudy Gobert finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, and Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 16 points apiece to lead the Raptors, who lost their 15th game in a row. The franchise’s worst skid was a 17-game run during the 1997-98 season.
