76ers make playoffs for 2nd straight year

NEWARK, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers nailed down the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and spoiled the Nets’ final game in New Jersey with a 105-87 victory Monday night.

Thaddeus Young scored all 15 of his points in the second half to help the 76ers make the postseason for the second straight year and eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks from playoff contention.

The win moved Philadelphia (34-30) into a tie with the New York Knicks for the No. 7 seed with two games remaining in the regular season.

Jrue Holiday and Elton Brand added 15 points apiece and Andre Iguodala had 14 points and nine assists for Philadelphia.

MarShon Brooks had 18 points to lead the Nets, who will move into a new arena in Brooklyn next season.

The short-handed Nets made the Sixers work for the final playoff spot. They trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half and made a third-quarter run to get within 63-62 on a jumper by Gerald Wallace with 3:44 left in the quarter.

Coach Doug Collins called a timeout and the 76ers closed the quarter with a 13-6 spurt to take a 76-68 lead. Young had the first two baskets in the run and 10 of the 13 points.

The Nets never threatened again over the final minutes and seemed time to be thinking about their 35 years in New Jersey.

Evan Turner added 13 points and Lew Williams had 11 for Philadelphia, which shot almost 54 percent for the game.

Kris Humphries added 16 points and 12 rebounds for New Jersey.

Pacers 103, Pistons 97: In Indianapolis, Paul George scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for the Indiana Pacers.

George made 13 of 15 free throws and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Pacers. David West scored 20 points and Leandro Barbosa and Tyler Hansbrough added 13 points each for Indiana.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel rested regular starters Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and George Hill since Indiana is locked into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Greg Monroe scored 18 points, Brandon Knight had 16 and Tayshaun Prince added 14 for the Pistons.

Detroit held the Pacers to 38 percent shooting, but Indiana forced 18 turnovers and outrebounded the Pistons 56-42. Indiana outscored the Pistons 29-13 from the free-throw line.

Wizards 101, Bobcats 73: In Washington, John Wall had 16 points and 14 assists, Nene scored 18 points and Jan Vesely had 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting and the Wizards handed the Charlotte Bobcats their 21st straight loss.

It gave the Wizards their first four-game winning streak since Dec. 9-13, 2007. The 28-point margin of victory equaled their largest in the season.

The Bobcats were competitive for most of the first quarter until Charlotte’s Tyrus Thomas, a former LSU star, was ejected with 3.6 seconds left for throwing an elbow at Washington’s James Singleton. He was assessed a flagrant 2 foul. Singleton made two free throws.

It was part of a 16-0 run that gave the Wizards a 37-21 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Gerald Henderson had 19 points for the Bobcats.

Grizzlies 109, Cavaliers 101: In Memphis, Tenn., Marreese Speights had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Marc Gasol scored 17 points for the Grizzlies.

Rudy Gay scored 15 points, O.J. Mayo had 14, Tony Allen added 13 points and a franchise-record eight steals and Mike Conley had 12 for the Grizzlies.

Rookie Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting, Antawn Jamison scored 17 points and Tristan Thompson had 12.

Spurs 124, Trail Blazers 89: In San Antonio, Tim Duncan scored 18 points and the San Antonio Spurs clinched the top playoff spot in the Western Conference and pushed their win streak to eight.

Wesley Matthews had 24 points for the Trail Blazers.

Bucks 92, Raptors 86: In Milwaukee, the Bucks are out of the NBA playoffs, despite getting 25 points from Brandon Jennings in a win over the Toronto Raptors.

Milwaukee’s postseason fate was determined earlier Monday night when the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New Jersey Nets 105-87 to clinch the eighth playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and eliminate the Bucks.

Ersan Ilyasova added 19 points and 15 rebounds for Milwaukee.

James Johnson had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors.