"Pacers Secure Top-4 Position in Eastern Conference in Latest NBA Recap"

The Indiana Pacers secured the advantage of playing at home in the first round of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference by defeating the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 114-112 on Thursday in Indianapolis.

With the defeat of the New York Knicks by the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, the Pacers still have a chance to secure the third seed in the East if they win their final two games and the Knicks lose their remaining games.

Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 23 points and also recorded 10 assists. He made consecutive 3-pointers to give Indiana a 113-107 lead with 3:08 left in the game. The Cavaliers made a comeback and had a chance to tie or win the game on the last possession, but Jaylon Tyson's buzzer-beater attempt was unsuccessful.

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Ty Jerome was the top scorer for Cleveland with 24 points, while De'Andre Hunter added 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers, who have already secured the top seed, played without Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus.

Hawks 133, Nets 109

Rookie Zaccharie Risacher had a career-high 38 points, with 23 of them coming in the first half, as Atlanta easily defeated Brooklyn in New York.

Just two days after turning 20, Risacher made 15 of 20 shots and recorded his fourth 30-point game, the most among rookies. He also made six 3-pointers. Trae Young added 24 points and 12 assists, earning his league-leading 50th points-assists double-double as the Hawks shot 57.1% from the field.

Jalen Wilson tied his season-high with 20 points for the Nets, who got 75 points from their bench. Rookies Tosan Evbuomwan and Tyson Etienne contributed 18 and 16 points respectively.

Pistons 115, Knicks 106

Cade Cunningham scored 36 points and had eight assists as the Detroit Pistons came back to defeat the New York Knicks in a potential first-round playoff matchup.

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Jalen Duren added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, while Tobias Harris had 17 points and Ron Holland.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 25 points and 10 rebounds, but also had seven turnovers. New York was missing OG Anunoby (thumb) and Josh Hart (knee).

Bucks 136, Pelicans 111

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away from the New Orleans Pelicans.

Antetokounmpo was just five assists short of his fourth consecutive triple-double, but the Bucks (46-34) still managed to win their sixth straight game. Kevin Porter Jr. scored 20 points for Milwaukee.

Lester Quinones scored a career-high 21 points for the Pelicans, while Keion Brooks Jr. and Jamal Cain both had career-best performances with 20 points each. However, it wasn't enough to prevent their fifth consecutive loss.