Basketball

Houston Rockets (20-60, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (26-54, 14th in the Eastern Conference) Charlotte, North Carolina; Friday, 7 p.m.

Detroit Pistons (16-64, 15th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (34-46, 12th in the Eastern Conference) Indianapolis; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Detroit hits the road against Indiana looking to stop its 13-game road skid.

Memphis Grizzlies (50-30, second in the Western Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (58-22, first in the Eastern Conference) Milwaukee; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Memphis faces the Milwaukee Bucks after Jaren Jackson Jr.

Toronto Raptors (40-40, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (55-25, second in the Eastern Conference) Boston; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Boston hosts Toronto trying to prolong its five-game home winning streak.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The battle of Los Angeles was no contest. The quest for the highest possible playoff seed is another story for the Clippers and Lakers.

The road to the NBA Finals now goes through Milwaukee. The road out of the Western Conference goes through Denver, for the first time ever. And the rest of the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket is set as well.

DALLAS (AP) — Kyrie Irving had already sparked a rally to put the Dallas Mavericks in front when he hit a gravity-defying shot that helped seal a victory to keep their postseason hopes alive.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wrapping up the top seed in the NBA playoffs was the order of business for the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

BOSTON (AP) — Malcolm Brogdon scored 29 points and hit two late free throws to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 97-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. With Milwaukee’s win over Chicago, Boston (55-25) secured the No.

ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young returned after missing one game with the flu and scored 25 points and had 16 assists to help the travel-weary Atlanta Hawks overwhelm shorthanded Washington 134-116 on Wednesday night.