Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scored 45 points as the 76ers beat the Pacers, 13-122, on Tuesday in Indianapolis. Darron Cummings/Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Joel Embiid had 45 points and 13 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers made a franchise-record 17 3-pointers in the first half of a 131-122 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night that moved them into a tie with Boston atop the Atlantic Division.
Embiid banked in a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer and shot 18 for 30 overall while moving into the NBA scoring lead with 30.4 points per game. He had 27 points and seven rebounds in the first half, helping Philadelphia take control with a 49-point second quarter that led to an 82-59 halftime lead.
Buddy Hield scored 25 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Indiana, which has lost a season-worst eight in a row.
The 76ers, meanwhile, continued to build momentum for a playoff push that begins next week – and perhaps Embiid’s pitch as league MVP.
And they did nothing to disappoint Tuesday.
Tyrese Maxey made a career-high eight 3s, seven in the first half, and had 30 points for the 76ers. James Harden had 11 points and 14 assists.
The Pacers never fully recovered from the Sixers’ blistering start, though they did cut the deficit to 111-106 with 9:19 left to play. But Philadelphia answered with a 10-3 run to put it away.
MAGIC 120, CAVALIERS 115: Mo Bamba had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Ignas Brazdeikis scored 20 off the bench and host Orlando beat Cleveland to stop a six-game losing streak.
Moritz Wagner scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter for the Magic.
Darius Garland had 27 points and 10 assists, and Lauri Markkanen added 25 points for the injury-riddled Cavaliers, who have dropped eight of 10. Cleveland is trying to hold onto seventh place in the Eastern Conference with two regular-season games remaining.
RAPTORS 118, HAWKS 108: Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Scottie Barnes added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and host Toronto clinched a playoff berth by beating Atlanta.
Chris Boucher scored 18 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 14, Fred VanVleet 12 and Precious Achiuwa 11. Toronto has won 12 of 16. This victory, coupled with Cleveland’s loss at Orlando, ensured the Raptors (46-33) will finish no lower than sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Sixth place is the last guaranteed postseason spot, with teams finishing in the Nos. 7-10 spots headed for the play-in tournament.
NETS 118, ROCKETS 105: Kyrie Irving scored 42 points and Brooklyn beat visiting Houston to improve its position in the race for play-in seeding.
Irving had 17 points in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant added 18 points, Bruce Brown had 15 and Cam Thomas 13 for the Nets. Andre Drummond finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
With Cleveland, Atlanta and Charlotte all losing, the Nets climbed into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, just 1 1/2 games behind the Cavaliers. The No. 7 seed hosts a game to open the tournament.
Kevin Porter Jr scored a season-high 36 points and Jalen Green added 30 for the Rockets.
HEAT 144, HORNETS 115: Tyler Herro scored 35 points off the bench and Miami moved closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a victory over Charlotte in Miami.
Miami won its fifth straight and posted the second-highest point total in franchise history, while Charlotte allowed 144 for the second consecutive game after a 144-112 loss Saturday at Philadelphia.
Jimmy Butler added 27 points, Bam Adebayo had 22 and Duncan Robinson broke out of a recent scoring slump with 21 points for the Heat, who need to win one of their two remaining games to secure the top spot in the East. Robinson shot 7 of 11 on 3-pointers after averaging 5.7 points in his previous six games, including two scoreless outings.
Ahead 104-97 after three periods, the Heat began the fourth on a 13-2 spurt. Robinson’s 3-pointer with 7:55 remaining capped the run for a 117-99 lead.
THUNDER 98, TRAIL BLAZERS 94: Jaylen Hoard had career highs of 24 points and 21 rebounds to help Oklahoma City won at home.
Isaiah Roby had 18 points and a career-high six steals, Greg Kakaitzakis scored 17 points and Olivier Sarr had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City improved to 4-0 against the Trail Blazers this season.
Keon Johnson scored 18 points and Greg Brown III and Ben McLemore each had 17 for Portland, which lost its eighth straight.
WIZARDS 132, TIMBERWOLVES 114: Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points, including 12 in the third quarter as Washington took control, and the Wizards pulled away for a in Minneapolis.
Rui Hachimura tied a season-high with 21 points and Daniel Gafford had 24 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Washington. The Wizards were coming off a 144-102 loss at Boston to open their three-game road trip but have now won five of seven.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, while D’Angelo Russell finished with 17 points and 11 assists. It was a disappointing loss for the Timberwolves after returning from a four-game road trip.
NOTES
OBIT: Gene Shue, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year who won 784 games with the Bullets, 76ers and Clippers, has died. He was 90.
A five-time All-Star as a player for the Pistons, Shue went on to coach for more than two decades. He took the Baltimore Bullets to the NBA finals in 1971, then did the same with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1977. He is still the record holder for the Washington-Baltimore franchise with 522 victories.
The Wizards and the NBA announced Shue’s death Monday.
BULLS: Chicago point guard Lonzo Ball experienced another setback in his recovery from surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee, raising more doubt about whether he will play again this season.
Ball felt some discomfort after he tried to ramp up activities again following a 10-day pause, Coach Billy Donovan said.
“It’s disappointing from the standpoint you were hoping that the time that he had off could help him kind of maybe propel going forward and do a little bit more,” he said. “But that certainly hasn’t been the case.”
Donovan said the next step will probably be a “meeting of the minds” in the next day or two. And the possibility of Ball missing the remainder of the season is “on the table.”
NETS: Herb Turetzky, who was the Nets’ official scorer for 54 years across multiple leagues and states, has died. He was 76.
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