Magic continue their streak against the Timberwolves while the Thunder secure first place in the West

Orlando Magic earned its fourth straight win on Wednesday with a 132-120 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Oklahoma City Thunder prevailed over LA Clippers and will be first in the Western Conference.

With two games remaining in the regular season, Paolo Banchero has established himself as a dominant piece in the paint for the Magic. The 23-year-old forward scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and completed six assists against the Timberwolves at the Kia Center (Orlando).

Orlando, which is looking to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season, was dominant in a game in which it led by as many as 24 points. "We're moving the ball very well and that's important," said Germany's Franz Wagner, who completed his fourth game back from an ankle injury that kept him out for 48 games.

Georgia's Goga Bitadze sported a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds off the bench while Brazilian Tristan Da Silva added 12 units in 20 minutes.

The Timberwolves, who were without star Anthony Edwards because of right knee discomfort, have qualified for the playoffs with sixth place in the Western Conference.

Their main concern down the final stretch of the season is getting Edwards back, who would return for one of the final two games this week.

A Toronto Raptors loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday would leave Orlando in a tie for sixth place.

Message from the Cavs, who are targeting the third-place Knicks

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not giving up on third place in the Eastern Conference, and they cruised to a 122-116 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on this day.

Donovan Mitchell was the top scorer of the game with 31 points shooting for an efficiency of 63% (12/19). However, the big figure was center Evan Mobley who completed a monumental double-double of 22 points and 19 rebounds.

"We knew it was an important game," Mobley commented to AFP. "We can play each other in the playoffs and we wanted to send a message, it's a big game for us." "The mission is to win the championship, we're on that path, we managed to play at a good level at the close of the regular season and it's time to follow it up in the playoffs."

Cleveland has won four straight games and eight of the last ten, with 51 wins and 29 losses they are a half-game behind the New York Knicks in the fight for third place in the East.

With the loss, the Hawks put their direct qualification at riskand if they don't get wins against Cleveland on Friday or Miami on Sunday, they could fall into playoff spots.

Thunder, kings of the Wild West

For the third consecutive season, Oklahoma City Thunder will finish in first place in the Western Conference, the fact was consummated after a 128-110 victory over the LA Clippers.

"It's a very important accomplishment," commented head coach, Mark Daigneault, "When you win the title, that carries weight in the following season, it's hard to be around for the whole season." "This team has been able to focus on the day-to-day and that's one of the reasons we've been successful this season."

The Intuit Dome (Inglewood) witnessed another memorable night for the project led by Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 27-year-old guard, who is a serious candidate for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, is a key player in a project that aims to revalidate the NBA championship title.

For that, OKC has found its best level at the close of the regular season with an impressive streak of 19 wins in the last 20 games. Against the Clippers and like so many nights in the current campaign, the effort was collective.

Forward Chet Holmgren completed a double-double of 30 points and 14 rebounds while Isaiah Joe added 20 units off the bench in just 23 minutes. With a record of 64 wins and 16 losses, Oklahoma City has guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.