Dellavedova's Bucks make NBA playoffs

The Milwaukee Bucks have beaten the Philadelphia 76ers 90-82 in the NBA, with Matthew Dellavedova scoring 14 points and providing an eye-catching assist.

Milwaukee Bucks' Tony Snell, left, goes up to shoot

The Milwaukee Bucks have beaten the Philadelphia 76ers 90-82 in the NBA. (AAP)

Matthew Dellavedova played a strong supporting role as the Milwaukee Bucks clinched a NBA playoffs berth in a 90-82 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Australian point guard scored 14 points while his three assists included a no-look, over-the-shoulder pass to Greg Monroe with just over a minute remaining on Saturday night.

Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had another big game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

The Bucks (41-39) are placed sixth in the eastern conference and secured their second post-season berth in three years behind Cleveland, Boston, Toronto, Washington and Atlanta.

Antetokounmpo scored eight points in the third quarter, when the Bucks (41-39) outscored the Sixers 25-12 to take command.

In Charlotte, Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points, and Boston remained in contention for the No.1 seed in the eastern conference playoffs with a 121-114 victory over Charlotte.

Al Horford added 16 points and Kelly Olynyk had 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season as the Celtics swept the four-game series and pulled within a half-game of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers (51-28) have road games remaining against Atlanta and Miami before closing at home against Toronto. The Celtics (51-29) have two home games left, against Brooklyn and Milwaukee.

In New York, Dwyane Wade returned but the Chicago Bulls sustained a potentially costly loss when the Brooklyn Nets beat them 107-106.

Spencer Dinwiddie made four free throws in the final 13.6 seconds for the Nets in their home finale. He scored 19 points, as did rookie Caris LeVert.

Jimmy Butler scored 33 points for the Bulls, who fell into a tie with Miami for eighth in the eastern conference.

Wade started and played 25 minutes, scoring 14 points. He had been expected to miss the remainder of the regular season when he sprained his right elbow on March 15.

But the Bulls allowed 32 points in the fourth quarter, with Dinwiddie snapping a 103-all with two free throws with 13.6 seconds to play. Butler missed a jumper and Dinwiddie put it away with another pair with 2.4 to play.

In Orlando, Paul George scored 37 points and Myles Turner added 23 points and 10 rebounds to help Indiana move a step closer to a playoff berth with a 127-112 victory over Orlando.

The Pacers pulled a game ahead of Chicago and Miami for seventh place in the eastern conference and climbed back to .500 with their third straight victory.

Terrence Ross had 29 points for the Magic, while Evan Fournier had 23 and Aaron Gordon added 17. Orlando has lost six of its last seven.


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Source: AAP



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