NBA: Jokic hits milestone as Nuggets clinch play-off spot

(REUTERS, AFP) - Nikola Jokic overcame a gash on his head to finish with 35 points and 16 rebounds while grabbing a piece of National Basketball Association (NBA) history as the hosts Denver Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-109 on Thursday (April 7) to clinch a Western Conference play-off spot.

Jokic became the first NBA player ever to compile 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a single season. He needed 31 points to reach the milestone and returned in the fourth quarter to hit the mark and help Denver to their fifth win in seven games.

Aaron Gordon had 22 points, Bones Hyland and Will Barton scored 16 apiece and Monte Morris had 10 for the Nuggets (48-33), who secured at least the sixth seed in the West.

Desmond Bane scored 14 points, Dillon Brooks and Ziaire Williams had 12 each, De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke added 11 apiece and Jaren Jackson Jr finished with 10 for second-place Grizzlies (55-25), who have dropped two in a row after an 11-1 stretch.

Jokic sustained a cut on his head in the first minute of the game when he was hit with an inadvertent elbow by Jackson. Jokic was bleeding profusely before being bandaged, and he wore a red headband the rest of the night at the Ball Arena.

Memphis led by 10 early and was up 25-16 late in the first quarter before the Nuggets took control. Gordon started the comeback with a pair of three-pointers and had a three-point play to spark a 16-0 run that gave Denver the lead.

In the second quarter, the Grizzlies got within 12, but Denver scored the next nine points to go ahead 68-47 en route to a 70-53 half-time lead.

Jokic opened the second half with a three-pointer and Gordon sank a fadeaway jumper to make it a 22-point game. After Memphis got within 18, Denver went on an 11-2 run to lead by 27, then pushed the advantage to 101-71 on a dunk by Jokic.

The Grizzlies cut it to 18 in the fourth before Jokic scored six consecutive points to help Denver hold on.

Elsewhere, the Miami Heat sealed top seeding in the Eastern Conference play-offs as the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers suffered defeats on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors respectively.

The Celtics were outgunned 127-121 by the Bucks in Milwaukee, while the Raptors edged out Philadelphia 119-114 in Toronto.

The combined results left Miami with an unassailable lead at the top of the Eastern Conference at 52-28 with two regular-season games remaining.

Milwaukee's victory over Boston leaves the Bucks in pole position to claim the second seed in the East.

Milwaukee are 50-30 with games against the lowly Detroit Pistons on Friday before a road game in Cleveland on Sunday.

Boston meanwhile are 50-31 with just a final regular season road game on Sunday against the Grizzlies remaining.

The Celtics looked to have clawed their way back into a winning position at the Fiserv Forum after trailing by 13 points near the end of the first half, taking a five-point lead at 114-109 midway through the fourth quarter.

But after Marcus Smart's driving layup put Boston ahead at 121-118 with just over two minutes remaining, momentum swung back to the Bucks.

Bobby Portis' three-pointer from 27 metres levelled the scores and then Giannis Antetokounmpo's free throw put the Bucks ahead at 122-121.

A Jrue Holiday layup made it 124-121 Milwaukee and then a wide-open missed layup by Boston's Daniel Theis allowed Antetokounmpo to add another free throw for a 125-121 lead.

A George Hill steal and layup sealed the Celtics' fate at 127-121.

Antetokounmpo and Holiday led the Bucks scorers with 29 points each, while Khris Middleton added 22 points.

Smart led the Boston scorers with 29 points.

"It was a tight game, but the guys found a way to win another close game, so some positives from that," Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said.

In Toronto, Pascal Siakam's triple-double sparked the Raptors to victory over the Sixers.

Siakam finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the Raptors win, while Gary Trent Jr added 30.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers' scoring with 30 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey chipped in with 22 points.

"Offensively we lost our rhythm, we lost our pace," Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said.

"That's happened about three times now. We've got to keep our pace going. A frustrating loss."

Elsewhere, Anthony Edwards erupted for 49 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-121.