Cavaliers secure playoff spot, Celtics win, Mavericks get swept once again

In a day of milestones and records, the Cleveland Cavaliers made history as the first franchise to secure a spot in the NBA playoffs, defeating the Miami Heat 112-107 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio.

The Cavaliers never allowed their opponents to lead in any quarter. The Eastern Conference leaders delivered another solid performance, with six players scoring over 10 points.

Both Evan Mobley (16 points, 13 rebounds) and Darius Garland (15 points, 10 assists) recorded double-doubles. The Cavaliers' top scorer was Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 26 points. Jarrett Allen, on the other hand, had a more subdued offensive performance.

For the Heat, Bam Adebayo's dominance in the paint wasn't enough. The center, who has led the franchise since Jimmy Butler's departure to the Golden State Warriors, wowed the crowd with a double-double of 34 points and 12 rebounds.

Mavericks continue to struggle

At Wisconsin's Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks compounded the Dallas Mavericks' struggles, defeating them 137-107.

A day after LeBron James surpassed 50,000 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo, reached his own milestone. The Bucks' Greek star surpassed 20,000 regular-season points, scoring 32 points (along with 15 rebounds) against the Mavericks. His teammate, Damian Lillard, added 34 points to the scoreboard.

The Dallas franchise, struggling deeply since Luka Doncic's departure and further hampered by injuries to Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and several other players, never posed a serious challenge to the Bucks. Only Klay Thompson (28 points) and Naji Marshall (22 points, 10 rebounds) stood out.

Even without Tatum, the sharpshooters still showed up

A record night in Massachusetts. At the TD Garden, the Boston Celtics—missing their star, Jayson Tatum—defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 128-118, thanks to a stellar perimeter performance from the roster.

Of the Celtics' total points, 84 came from Derrick White (41) and Payton Pritchard (43 points, 10 rebounds), who made history as the first pair in NBA history to each score nine or more three-pointers in a single game.

The Celtics' offensive performance overshadowed the efforts of Anfernee Simons (30 points) and Shaedon Sharpe (25 points).

Western Conference leaders, the Oklahoma City Thunder, extended their winning streak to five games with a 120-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Tennessee. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once again unstoppable, finishing with 41 points.

Elsewhere, Nikola Jokic (22 points, 15 rebounds) led the Denver Nuggets to a 116-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Charlotte Hornets 125-110, with Jaden McDaniels (29 points, 10 rebounds), Julius Randle (25 points, 10 rebounds), and Naz Reid (13 points, 10 rebounds) each recording a double-double. Anthony Edwards also celebrated with 29 points.