Joel Embiid had 29 points and made a big block in the final seconds as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied from 15 points down to edge the host Charlotte Hornets 118-114 on Saturday.
Philadelphia stopped Charlotte’s five-game winning streak and won the season series 2-1, giving them the tiebreaker in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Paul George, in his second game back from a 25-game suspension for violating the terms of the league’s anti-drug program, finished with 26 points. Tyrese Maxey also had 26 in his return after missing 10 games with a finger injury.
Brandon Miller scored 29, while LaMelo Ball added 20 and Coby White contributed 16 for the Hornets, who clinched a spot in the play-in tournament after the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the San Antonio Spurs earlier in the day. Charlotte had not reached the postseason since 2022.
Spurs 127, Bucks 95
Stephon Castle amassed his fourth triple-double of the season and was among seven teammates in double-figure scoring, as visiting San Antonio cruised to its eighth straight win with a victory over Milwaukee.
The Spurs were victorious for the 13th time in their past 14 games and remain hot on the heels of Oklahoma City for both the top seed in the West and the best record in the league. San Antonio is two games back of the defending champion Thunder with eight contests left to play.
Castle finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points to lead the Bucks, who played without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee) for the sixth straight game.
Pistons 109, Timberwolves 87
Tobias Harris scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, and Detroit pulled away from Minnesota for a decisive victory in Minneapolis.
Ronald Holland II and Daniss Jenkins chipped in 13 points apiece for the Pistons, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Paul Reed added 12 points off the bench, and Jalen Duren notched a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Donte DiVincenzo led the Timberwolves with 22 points and made five shots from beyond the arc. Rudy Gobert finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Julius Randle notched 11 points despite missing 11 of 13 shots from the field. Detroit outscored Minnesota 60-43 in the second half to seal the victory.
Hawks 123, Kings 113
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 27 points, Jalen Johnson added 26 points and 10 assists and host Atlanta held off Sacramento for coach Quin Snyder’s 500th career victory, becoming the sixth active NBA head coach and 41st in league history to reach that plateau.
CJ McCollum scored 22 points, while Jock Landale finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, who won their 15th game in 17 tries. Zaccharie Risacher tallied 13 points and Mohamed Gueye chipped in 10 for Atlanta, which holds a half-game lead over Philadelphia for the East’s No. 6 seed — the last guaranteed playoff spot in each conference.
DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 22 points, followed by Maxime Raynaud’s 18 points and 10 boards. Precious Achiuwa had 16, DaQuan Jeffries scored 15 and Daeqwon Plowden had 14 for Sacramento, which dropped its third straight. Malik Monk and Killian Hayes both scored 10 points.
Suns 134, Jazz 109
Jalen Green scored 31 points and made five 3-pointers, Devin Booker added 26 points and host Phoenix tied their season scoring high in a blowout of tanking Utah.
Grayson Allen scored 19 points and Oso Ighodaro had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Suns, who had lost six of seven. Green was 13 of 22 from the field, 5 of 11 from 3-point range, and had six rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes. Booker had eight assists.
Kyle Filipowski had 26 points and nine rebounds, Brice Sensabaugh scored 26 points and Svi Mykhailiuk scored all of his 14 points in the second half for the Jazz, who have lost five in a row and 17 of 20.
Grizzlies 125, Bulls 124
Cedric Coward scored 24 points, including two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining, to lead host Memphis past Chicago and snap a five-game losing streak.
Tyler Burton added 18 points for the Grizzlies and Jahmai Mashack scored 17. Rayan Rupert and DeJon Jarreau finished with 14 points each.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 29 points and 10 rebounds followed by 26 points from Collin Sexton. Josh Giddey posted his 13th triple-double (18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists) this season and Tre Jones contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Chicago lost its third straight game and has dropped five of its last six.
