INDIANAPOLIS — For the fifth time in six seasons, the Indiana Pacers qualified for the NBA playoffs.
Indiana led by 20 points after one quarter on its way to a 129-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in Bankers Life Fieldhouse that secured a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Myles Turner led Indiana with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and George Hill had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Brooklyn, which lost its eighth in a row, got 26 points from Sean Kilpatrick, 19 from former Pacer Donald Sloan and 16 from Shane Larkin.
Rockets 130, Lakers 110
HOUSTON — James Harden used the final appearance for Kobe Bryant in Houston as his personal stage, coming alive in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ win over Los Angeles.
Harden scored 20 of his game-high 40 points in the final period and added 13 assists and four steals. The Rockets are one game behind the Utah Jazz for the final Western Conference playoff spot with two regular-season games remaining.
Bryant finished with 35 points on 10-of-22 shooting in just 27 minutes, doing most of his damage in the first and third quarters.
Jazz 100, Nuggets 84
DENVER — Rookie Trey Lyles scored a career-high 22 points, Gordon Hayward also scored 22 and had nine rebounds, and Utah helped its playoff cause with a win over Denver.
Rudy Gobert had 16 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots for the Jazz.
Nikola Jokic had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Emmanuel Mudiay also scored 19 points for the Nuggets. Denver finished 18-23 at home.
Heat 118, Magic 96
MIAMI — Hassan Whiteside was back in the Miami starting lineup for the first time since Jan. 20, and the move paid off in a win over Orlando.
It was Miami’s highest scoring game since March 18 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat are tied with the Boston Celtics for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Whiteside, who had 18 points and 15 rebounds, played each of the previous 29 games as a reserve. Miami also 20 points from Luol Deng. Evan Fournier led Orlando with 21 points, and Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and eight rebounds.
Wizards 113, Hornets 98
WASHINGTON — Charlotte’s hopes for home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs took a hit with a loss to Washington. The sixth-place Hornets trail the Heat and Celtics by one game.
Marcin Gortat finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who were without John Wall (knee).
Kemba Walker scored 16 points and Marvin Williams had 14 for the Hornets.
Clippers 98, Mavericks 91
LOS ANGELES — Jamal Crawford scored 22 points off the bench, and J.J. Redick contributed 20, sparking Los Angeles to a victory over Dallas.
Blake Griffin collected 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers, who snapped Dallas’ six-game winning streak. DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles, while Jeff Green chipped in 11 points.
Reserve Raymond Felton led the Mavericks with 21 points. Deron Williams had 15 points, Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 and Charlie Villanueva finished with 11 points for Dallas, which dropped a 1 1/2 games back of Portland for the No. 5 spot in the West and a game behind No. 6 Memphis.
Bucks 109, 76ers 108 (OT)
PHILADELPHIA — Khris Middleton scored 36 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a critical block as short-handed Milwaukee beat Philadelphia in overtime, breaking a three-game losing streak and sending the Sixers to their 70th loss of the season.
Middleton, back after missing the previous three games with a strained left thigh, nailed 14 of 24 shots. His point total equaled a season high for a Milwaukee player.
John Henson added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who have won nine straight over Philadelphia. Ish Smith had 22 points to lead the Sixers, who fell to 10-70. They are the sixth team in NBA history to lose at least 70 games in a season.