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Scores, updates, highlights from NBA games on final day of 2022-23 regular season

Gilbert McGregor

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Scores, updates, highlights from NBA games on final day of 2022-23 regular season image

It all came down to the final day of the 2022-23 NBA season. And it was a wild one.

As the 2022-23 NBA season came to a close, all 30 teams were in action. And while the Eastern Conference standings were set, the Western Conference Play-In Tournament and Playoffs had yet to be decided, with seeds 5 through 9 still up for grabs.

After a very entertaining day of action, the season is a wrap and the standings are set.

The Sporting News tracked scoring updates from the 15 NBA games on Sunday. Have a look at how everything impacted the standings.

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Scores, highlights from Sunday's NBA games

(All times Eastern)

7 p.m. — Have a look at the playoff bracket in all its glory:

6:30 p.m. — It may be a bit difficult to keep up with all that's happened on the season's final day, so here's a recap of some of the biggest storylines from the day.

Celtics 120, Hawks 114: Payton Pritchard finishes with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to earn his first career triple-double.

76ers 134, Nets 105: Mac McClung leads Philadelphia with 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Cam Thomas' 46 points pace the Nets.

Heat 123, Magic 110: In his final regular season game, 42-year-old Udonis Haslem scores 24 points, the third-highest single-game total of his career.

Rockets 114, Wizards 109: Houston closes the season on a three-game win streak, but it is announced that head coach Steven Silas will not return next season.

Bulls 103, Pistons 81: Head coach Dwane Casey announces that he will no longer coach the team but transition to a front office role.

Warriors 157, Trail Blazers 101: Golden State scores NBA-record 55 points in first quarter, cruises to 56-point win to clinch West's sixth seed.

Thunder 115, Grizzlies 100: Tre Mann (24 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) records triple-double while rookie Kenneth Lofton Jr. finishes with 42 points and 14 rebounds for Memphis.

Spurs 138, Mavericks 117: San Antonio gets out to a 42-14 first quarter lead, withstands triple-double from Theo Pinson (23 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists)

Lakers 128, Jazz 117: LeBron James drains eight 3-pointers, scores 36 points to help Lakers claim West's seventh seed.

Timberwolves 113, Pelicans 108: Rudy Gobert is reportedly sent home after striking teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout huddle. Jaden McDaniels punches a wall and ends his season after imaging revealed a fractured hand. Wolves respond, rally behind Anthony Edwards to claim West's eighth seed.

6:10 p.m. — Despite the adversity, the Wolves complete the rally to earn a five-point win over the Pelicans and claim the West's eighth seed.

The 2022-23 NBA regular season is officially a wrap. Here are how the matchups will shape out:

Western Conference Playoff matchups

  • No. 1 Nuggets vs. No. 8 Play-In winner
  • No. 2 Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Lakers/Timberwolves
  • No. 3 Kings vs. No. 6 Warriors
  • No. 4 Suns vs. No. 5 Clippers

Eastern Conference Playoff matchups

  • No. 1 Bucks vs. No. 8 Play-In winner
  • No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Heat/Hawks
  • No. 3 76ers vs. No. 6 Nets
  • No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Knicks

6 p.m. — Final in Phoenix: Clippers 119, Suns 114.

The top seven seeds in the West are set:

  1. Nuggets
  2. Grizzlies
  3. Kings
  4. Suns
  5. Clippers
  6. Warriors
  7. Lakers

Get your popcorn ready, because Suns-Clippers is going to be a first-round series that feels like the Conference Finals.

5:45 p.m. — We've got a few more final scores from around the league.

  • Warriors 157, Trail Blazers 101
  • Nuggets 109, Kings 95
  • Thunder 115, Grizzlies 100
  • Lakers 128, Jazz 117

With their 56-point win, the Warriors have clinched a spot in the NBA Playoffs and can finish no worse than sixth. Their seeding will depend on the finish between the Clippers and Suns in Phoenix.

The Lakers are now locked into the NBA Play-In Tournament but most everything else hinges on the Clippers-Suns final.

5 p.m. — If the Wolves rally in the second half, it will be without Rudy Gobert, who has reportedly been sent home for his role in the altercation. Minnesota is locked in at ninth in the West with a loss.

4:45 p.m. — There's still a lot to be handled, but it's halftime in four key games.

Here's where things stand:

  • Warriors 84, Trail Blazers 53
  • Suns 53, Clippers 48
  • Lakers 65, Jazz 56
  • Pelicans 55, Timberwolves 47

We've got some drama in Minnesota, where teammates Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson were involved in an altercation on the bench. According to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, Gobert was escorted to the Wolves' locker room.

4:10 p.m. — We've got NBA history out in the Pacific Northwest. Golden State has erupted for an NBA-record 55 points in the opening frame, thanks in large part to 12 first-quarter triples.

A win keeps the Warriors in play for the West's fifth seed depending on the result of Clippers-Suns.

If the Warriors and Clippers win, the Warriors will face the Kings. If the Warriors win and Clippers lose, the Warriors will face the Suns.

3:42 p.m. — Things are about to get interesting in the West.

As a reminder, here are the games you'll want to keep an eye on:

  • Pelicans (42-39) vs. Timberwolves (41-40)
  • Jazz (37-44) vs. Lakers (42-39)
  • Clippers (43-38) vs. Suns (45-36)
  • Warriors (43-38) vs. Trail Blazers (33-48)

3:40 p.m. — The final set of games from the first window have wrapped:

  • Pacers 141, Knicks 136
  • Heat 123, Magic 110

In his final regular season game, Udonis Haslem turned in the third-best scoring performance of his career, finishing with 24 points (on 9-of-17 shooting), including a career-high three 3-pointers.

What a way to go out for Miami's OG.

3:30 p.m. — Make that two coaching vacancies around the league. The Pistons and head coach Dwane Casey have mutually agreed on a change that will see him move into a front office role.

3:20 p.m. — The Rockets closed the season on a three-game win streak, but they'll be moving on from head coach Steven Silas, who compiled a 59-177 record during his three years on the sideline in Houston.

3:15 p.m. — The first few sets of games are wrapping up. The impact on the standings is inconsequential, but a few notable games around the league:

  • Bulls 103, Pistons 81
  • Rockets 114, Wizards 109
  • Raptors 121, Bucks 105
  • Hornets 106, Cavaliers 95
  • 76ers 134, Nets 105
  • Celtics 120, Hawks 114

In Brooklyn, Cam Thomas finished with 46 points while dunk champion Mac McClung finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

In Boston, Payton Pritchard turned in a triple-double with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.

2:50 p.m. — Meanwhile at the Barclays Center, second-year guard Cam Thomas has turned in his fourth 40-point game of the season. He's got plenty of time to get up to 50, too.

2:15 p.m. — How about a halftime update from the first eight games of the afternoon:

  • Hawks 64, Celtics 61
  • 76ers 61, Nets 53 
  • Cavaliers 54, Hornets 49
  • Heat 52, Magic 50
  • Pacers 73, Knicks 71
  • Raptors 67, Bucks 55
  • Wizards 67, Rockets 55
  • Bulls 49, Pistons 46

1:50 p.m. — Here's a quick update from around the league:

  • The Knicks and Pacers are having fun. New York takes a 45-41 lead into the second quarter. It would have been a seven-point advantage had it not been for this half-court heave from George Hill:
  • In Miami, the Heat are honoring Udonis Haslem as he plays his final regular season game after 20 years with the franchise. The 42-year-old tied a career-high with 13 points in the opening frame.

1 p.m. — Buckle up, we're just moments away from the first eight games of the day tipping off.

11:40 a.m. — Injury reports are beginning to roll in for the day. The Celtics will be without Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, Danilo Gallinari, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum and Robert Williams III.

The Hawks will be without Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, John Collins, Dejounte Murray and Trae Young.

11 a.m. — In case you needed a refresher, here's the long list of seeding scenarios in the Western Conference. Keep an eye on the Pelicans, Timberwolves, Lakers, Suns and Warriors this afternoon.

NBA schedule for Sunday's games

All 30 NBA teams will play on the final day of the regular season. Eight games will start at 1 p.m. ET, and seven games will tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Fans in the U.S. can watch the biggest games of the 2022-23 NBA season on Sling TV, which is now offering HALF OFF your first month! Stream Sling Orange for $20 in your first month to catch all regular season games on TNT, ESPN & ABC. For games on NBA TV, subscribe to Sling Orange & Sports Extra for $27.50 in your first month. Local regional blackout restrictions apply.

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Game Time (ET) TV channel Live stream
Hawks vs. Celtics 1 p.m. ESPN Sling TV
76ers vs. Nets 1 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Hornets vs. Cavaliers 1 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Magic vs. Heat 1 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Pacers vs. Knicks 1 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Bucks vs. Raptors 1 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Rockets vs. Wizards 1 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Pistons vs. Bulls 1 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Spurs vs. Mavericks 3:30 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Pelicans vs. Timberwolves 3:30 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Grizzlies vs. Thunder 3:30 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Kings vs. Nuggets 3:30 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Jazz vs. Lakers 3:30 p.m. ESPN Sling TV
Clippers vs. Suns 3:30 p.m. — NBA League Pass
Warriors vs. Trail Blazers 3:30 p.m. — NBA League Pass

Final NBA standings 2023

(Current as of April 8)

Eastern Conference

Seed Team Record Games Back
1. Bucks* 58-24 —
2. Celtics* 57-25 1
3. 76ers* 54-28 4
4. Cavaliers* 51-31 7
5. Knicks* 47-35 11
6. Nets* 45-37 13
7. Heat** 44-38 14
8. Hawks** 41-41 17
9. Raptors** 41-41 17
10. Bulls** 40-42 18
— Wizards 35-47 23
— Pacers 35-47 23
— Magic 34-48 24
— Hornets 27-55 31
— Pistons 17-65 41

*clinched NBA Playoff berth

**clinched Play-In Tournament berth

Eliminated from NBA Playoff contention: Hornets, Magic, Pacers, Pistons, Wizards

Western Conference

Seed Team Record Games Back
1. Nuggets* 53-29 —
2. Grizzlies* 51-31 2
3. Kings* 48-34 5
4. Suns* 45-37 8
5. Clippers* 44-38 9
6. Warriors* 44-38 9
7. Lakers** 43-39 10
8. Timberwolves** 42-40 11
9. Pelicans** 42-40 11
10. Thunder** 39-42 13
— Mavericks 38-43 14
— Jazz 37-44 15
— Trail Blazers 33-48 19
— Rockets 21-60 31
— Spurs 21-60 31

*clinched NBA Playoff berth

**clinched Play-In Tournament berth

Eliminated from NBA Playoff contention: Jazz, Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, Trail Blazers

NBA Playoffs and Play-In Tournament bracket

The 2022-23 NBA regular season will end on Sunday, April 9. The 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament will begin on Tuesday, April 11.

The first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs will start four days later on Saturday, April 15.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.