BASKETTBALL

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Cole Anthony (24) scored 26 points off the bench as the Orlando Magic booked their place in the first round of the NBA playoffs with a 120-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. In the opening game of the Eastern Conference's play-in tournament, Orlando's superior production from the bench proved decisive as the Magic clinched the seventh seed.

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The Denver Nuggets strengthened their playoff position with a triple-double from history-making Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. The Serb put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds, and his 34th triple-double performance ensured he will finish the regular season as just the third player averaging a triple-double across an entire season.

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Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler combined for 75 points as the Golden State Warriors squeezed into the NBA playoffs on Tuesday with a pulsating 121-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. A thrilling play-in duel at San Francisco's Chase Centre saw the Warriors hang on after a ferocious second-half fightback by Memphis, who trailed by as much as 20 points before rallying back to edge into the lead late in the game.

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Luka Doncic shrugged off the raw emotion of his return to Dallas with a dazzling 45-point display against his former club as the Los Angeles Lakers downed the Mavericks 112-97 to punch their ticket to the NBA playoffs on Wednesday.

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James Harden scored 39 points as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 124-119 in overtime to clinch the final playoff spot in a thrilling last day of the NBA regular season on Sunday. Harden's superb display in San Francisco helped the Clippers bag the fifth seed in the Western Conference and sets up a first-round postseason series with the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-120 on Tuesday in a hard-fought battle that saw Luka Doncic controversially ejected in the fourth quarter. Two days after suffering a 27-point defeat to the Lakers, the No.1-ranked Thunder avenged that loss thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander's 13th 40-point game of the season, with Jalen Williams adding 26 and Lugentz Dort 17.

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Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has made "significant improvement" in his recovery from a blood clot as the team prepares for the opening rounds of the NBA playoffs, team officials said on Tuesday.

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The Florida Gators defeated the Houston Cougars 65-63 to take home the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship! So, let's run it back from the very beginning that finished with Florida head coach Todd Golden making NCAA history. The game started out rough for both teams from behind the arc with Houston shooting 0-8 and Florida 0-4.