Hawks return to the NBA Playoffs; Lakers and Celtics sweep

Mission accomplished. The Atlanta Hawks certified their presence in the NBA Playoffs after avenging a Cleveland Cavaliers that had defeated them the previous day.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, with their ticket to the season finals already punched weeks ago, earned wins without too much trouble.

Atlanta, to the Playoffs

In the NBA's Eastern Conference, there is still unfinished business. One of them, though, has already been settled. At State Farm Arena in Georgia, the Hawks secured their playoffs spot with a solvent victory against the Cavaliers (124-102).

Thus, the Atlanta franchise, which, with one game remaining, boasts a record this season of 46 wins and 35 losses, returns to the Playoffs after two seasons of being left out.

Dyson Daniels, who contributed a triple-double (13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists), was the Hawks' top man. Their top scorer against the Cavaliers, and of the duel, was CJ McCollum, with 28 points, while three other players (Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson and Jonathan Kuminga) surpassed double digits in the scoring department.

Without Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen on the court, James Harden was the top scorer for the Cavaliers, with 20 points. With the fourth place in the Eastern Conference secured, the Ohio franchise is guaranteed home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Lakers and Celtics win

At Boston's TD Garden, the Celtics secured second place in the Eastern Conference by cruising past the New Orleans Pelicans (144-118). Jaylen Brown, one of the regular-season MVP candidates, closed out his tally with 23 points, one fewer than teammate Sam Hauser (24 points), who was the top scorer for the NBA's most decorated franchise in its showdown against the men from Louisiana.

Meanwhile, the Lakers, fourth in the Western Conference, trounced the Phoenix Suns (101-73) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Despite the tough blow suffered by the injury to Luka Doncic, the purple and gold franchise won thanks to a great performance by LeBron James, who finished the game with a double-double (28 points and 12 assists).

In other NBA matchups, the Denver Nuggets earned an important victory against the reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder (127-107), in Colorado. Neither Nikola Jokic nor Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played.

In addition, Victor Wembanyama shined in the Texan duel between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks (139-120). The French center added a new double-double (40 points and 12 rebounds).