NBA: Memphis Grizzlies Seal Playoff Spot With Win Over Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics Beat Indiana Pacers

The Memphis Grizzlies clinched an NBA playoff berth in emphatic model on Friday, Luke Kennard main a blinding show from three-point vary in a 151-114 rout of the Houston Rockets.

Kennard set a franchise report with 10 three-pointers — on simply 11 makes an attempt — as Memphis set a franchise report with 25 from past the arc.

Their 25 treys got here on simply 42 makes an attempt. Eight Grizzlies gamers transformed from past the arc and Kennard was essentially the most ruthlessly environment friendly of all.

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“It seems like each shot I take goes to go in,” Kennard said after scoring 30 points.

Desmond Bane added 25 and two-time All-Star Ja Morant added 18 in a confident performance off the bench in his second game back from an eight-game NBA suspension for brandishing a gun at a nightclub.

Even towards Western Conference stragglers Houston it was a formidable show.

“Setting a franchise record as a team, setting a franchise record as an individual, for us, it’s huge,” mentioned Grizzles coach Taylor Jenkins after his workforce booked a 3rd straight journey to the playoffs.

“You see the flexibility,” he added of Kennard. “He’s out there knocking down shots, and he also has three assists, he’s competing on defense.”

Most importantly, Kennard mentioned, it was the workforce’s most full recreation since his arrival.

“Playing laborious, enjoying quick, speaking quite a bit higher,” he said. “We put it together for about a 48 minute game so it was a fun game. I love the way we played — we’ve just got to build off that.”

The Boston Celtics saved the stress on Milwaukee within the race for the Eastern Conference prime seed with a 120-95 residence victory over the Indiana Pacers.

The Celtics entered the evening trailing the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks by two and a half video games, with the Philadelphia 76ers an extra half-game again, and all three-teams have been in motion on Friday.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 34 factors — his fortieth 30-point recreation of the season setting a franchise report as he surpassed the 39 40-point video games posted by Hall of Famer Larry Bird within the 1987-88 season.

Jaylen Brown added 27 factors and grabbed seven rebounds and Derrick White chipped in 22 factors for the Celtics, who have been coming off a six-game road-trip capped by a blowout win at Sacramento.

Tatum mentioned the Celtics have been decided to maintain issues rolling at residence, towards a Pacers workforce that “kicked our butt” on their last trip to Boston.

“We didn’t forget that,” Tatum mentioned.

Hornets sting Mavs

But despite the fact that they have been aggressive from the outset, it wasn’t till the third quarter that the Celtics took full management. They out-scored the Pacers 32-21 and rolled from there.

Pacers level guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 factors in his return from a six-game harm absence. Myles Turner added 20 factors for Indiana, who’re chasing the Chicago Bulls for tenth place within the East and the ultimate play-in event berth.

Elsewhere, the shorthanded Charlotte Hornets stunned the Mavericks 117-109 in Dallas.

The Hornets, with starters Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier amongst their absentees, led a lot of the evening, powered by 28 factors from P.J. Washington and 23 from Gordon Hayward.

The Mavs, led by 28 factors from Luka Doncic, reduce a 21-point deficit to single digits late within the third quarter however dropped their third straight recreation as they battle for a play-in berth.

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