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WASHINGTON — Playing without their Big Three, the Miami Heat suffered their worst defeat of the season with a 104-70 loss to the Washington Wizards in the regular-season finale Thursday night.
With their first playoff game just two days away, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra rested LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh for the second straight game. The Heat are locked into the Eastern Conference's second playoff spot and will open the postseason Saturday against the New York Knicks.
Mo Evans had a season-high 18 points, Nene and Kevin Seraphin each scored 15, and John Wall had seven points and 12 assists for the Wizards, who closed the season with their first six-game win streak since Nov. 11-21, 2007.
Bulls 107, Cavs 75
CHICAGO — John Lucas III scored a career-high 25 points, Joakim Noah had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls clinched the top overall seed in the NBA playoffs.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau rested Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Kyle Korver. Chicago will host Philadelphia on Saturday.
Celtics 87, Bucks 74
BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored all 12 of his points in the first half despite missing most of it with a sprained toe and Rajon Rondo had 15 assists as the Boston Celtics closed the regular season with an 87-74 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
Avery Bradley added 14 points for the Celtics, who open the playoffs at Atlanta on Sunday.
Hawks 106, Mavs 89
ATLANTA — Josh Smith scored 23 points and the Hawks clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, racing to a 23-point lead in the opening quarter .
The Hawks (40-26) wrapped up the fourth-best record in the East and host Boston on Sunday. The defending NBA champion Mavericks (36-30) open the playoffs Saturday at Oklahoma City.
Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 22 points.
Pistons 108, 76ers 86
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Ben Gordon scored 26 points, including eight 3-pointers, to help the Pistons rout the short-handed 76ers.
Philadelphia (35-31) entered the game with a mathematical chance at the Eastern Conference's seventh seed, but didn't make much of an effort. Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams all sat out the game in order to rest for Saturday's postseason opener against top-seeded Chicago.
Spencer Hawes led the 76ers with 16, while Jodie Meeks had 15.
Nuggets 131, T-wolves 102
MINNEAPOLIS — JaVale McGee scored 19 points to help the Denver Nuggets lock down the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a victory over the Timberwolves.
Arron Afflalo scored 18 points and Danilo Gallinari had 17 points for the Nuggets, who won their fourth straight game and eighth in their last 10 as they surge into the postseason.
The Nuggets will face the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
Basketball
Wizards streak into offseason
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Notre Dame outlasts Louisville in 5 overtimes
Cameron Biedscheid scored on a layup with 1:19 left in the fifth overtime, and Eric Atkins and Pat Connaugton added free throws in the final 19 seconds as No. 25 Notre Dame overcame an eight-point deficit in regulation to beat No. 11 Louisville 104-101.
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ACM wins OT thriller
Ricky Mosley scored 40 points and D.J. Jones had 30, including a pair of free throws in the final seconds of overtime, to lead Allegany College to a 99-98 upset of Hagerstown Saturday night at Bob Kirk Arena.
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Michigan downs Syracuse 61-56 in NCAA semifinal
Michigan is more than just five fabulous players.
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Baylor wins its first NIT title, over Iowa
Pierre Jackson made the National Invitation Tournament his own.
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Iowa reaches NIT final with 71-60 win over Terps
Devyn Marble and Iowa could get used to these fast starts
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Three Calvary players named to first team
Savannah Reed and Karly Hipsley, who led the Calvary Christian girls to a 16-win season, and Tyler Michael, who led the boys to their most successful year in nearly 20 years, were named first-team all-conference by the Mason-Dixon Christian Conference basketball coaches.
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United Methodist, St. Paul’s win Fearer titles
Coach Derrick Swandol’s LaVale United Methodist team started where it left off last season besting the nemesis of Our Lady of the Mountains.
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No. 12 Maryland gets 4th seed in Bridgeport Region
Maryland coach Brenda Frese chuckled when asked how much she knew about Quinnipiac, her team's first-round opponent in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
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O’Connell captures 4th title
Melo Trimble was unstoppable and Bishop O’Connell was unbeatable Saturday night at Frostburg State University.
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Gonzaga beats La Lumiere
After trailing for the entirety of the second and third quarters, Kris Jenkins gave Gonzaga its first lead in almost a half by draining a three-pointer with 1:24 remaining and the Eagles clung to that edge for dear life to pick up a 56-53 win over La Lumiere and capture third-place Saturday at the 53rd ACIT at Frostburg State University.
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