BOSTON — Aron Baynes led a short-handed Boston lineup with a career-best 26 points and 14 rebounds, carrying the Celtics to a 110-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale.

Newly signed Jonathan Gibson scored 18 points, Guerschon Yabusele had 16 points, and Shane Larkin added 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Celtics (55-27), who will face Milwaukee in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bucks lost a tiebreaker to Miami for the No. 6 seed after Milwaukee was routed by the 76ers while the Heat beat Toronto in overtime.

Nik Stauskas scored 18 points for the Nets (28-54), who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Allen Crabbe had 16 points.

Boston rested Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris.

Baynes was the only regular in the starting lineup for the Celtics, and he helped them take charge by scoring six points during a 9-0 run midway into the third quarter that pushed them ahead 66-47.

Entering the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics hardly look like the team that was projected to go deep into the postseason.

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Star guard Kyrie Irving was lost for the remainder of the season after left knee surgery last weekend and key reserve guard Marcus Smart is likely sidelined for most – if not all – of the opening round. That comes after Boston lost prize offseason free-agent acquisition Gordon Hayward to a gruesome ankle injury on opening night.

The Nets, meanwhile, head into their third straight offseason without a playoff berth.

HEAT 116, RAPTORS 109: Wayne Ellington scored a career-high 32 points and set Miami’s single-season record for 3-pointers, helping the Heat beat visiting Toronto in overtime to wrap up the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Ellington finished with eight 3-pointers, giving him 227 for the season.

WIZARDS 101, MAGIC 92: Washington went cold in the fourth quarter of its regular-season finale, losing at Orlando to finish eighth in the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards shot 5 for 25 in the fourth quarter and 34 percent for the game.

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A win would have pulled the Wizards up to seventh place and a first-round playoff series against Boston. Instead, they will play Toronto in the opening round.

TIMBERWOLVES 112, NUGGETS 106: Jimmy Butler scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 14 rebounds and Minnesota ended the NBA’s longest-running playoff drought at 14 seasons, beating visiting Denver in overtime in the first final-day play-in game in the league since 1997.

76ERS 130, BUCKS 95: Joel Embiid and JJ Redick watched from the bench, Ben Simmons had a scoreless first half but Philadelphia won its 16th consecutive game, thumping visiting Milwaukee to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Markelle Fultz got his first career triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Justin Anderson led the Sixers with 25 points and Dario Saric had 24.

KNICKS 110, CAVALIERS 98: LeBron James played in his 82nd game for the first time his career, scored 10 points and then got some rest for the playoffs as Cleveland won at home.

THUNDER 137, GRIZZLIES 123: Paul George scored 40 points, Russell Westbrook clinched a triple-double average for the second straight season and Oklahoma City won at home.

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Westbrook entered the night needing 16 rebounds to clinch the triple-double average. He pulled down his 16th rebound with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter and received a standing ovation. He finished with just six points, but had a career-high 20 rebounds and 19 assists.

Steven Adams scored 24 points and Corey Brewer added 17 for the Thunder, who matched a franchise record with 20 made 3-pointers.

PELICANS 122, SPURS 98: Anthony Davis had 22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and three steals, and New Orleans beat visiting San Antonio.

Rajon Rondo had 19 points and 14 assists, and Nikola Mirotic had 21 points and 15 rebounds.

NOTES

76ERS: All-Star center Joel Embiid said it’s unlikely he’ll be available for at least Game 1 of the playoffs this weekend.

Embiid hasn’t played since March 28, when he suffered a broken bone around his left eye in a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz. Embiid, who has since been cleared of a concussion suffered from the accidental head butt, had surgery on March 31. The 7-footer wore the mask during pregame shooting drills and would need one in the postseason.

“I don’t think I’m ready to play,” he said. “It still doesn’t feel all the way right.”


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