Milwaukee Makes Playoffs, NBA Roundup

MILWAUKEE -- The rebuilding plan is way ahead of schedule for the Milwaukee Bucks. A year after a franchise-worst 67-loss season, the Bucks are headed to the playoffs.

Ersan Ilyasova scored 21 points and coach Jason Kidd's team relied on defense in a 96-73 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday that wrapped up the playoff spot and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Celtics 117, Cavaliers 78

Celtics coach Brad Stevens didn't get carried away by Boston's rout of a Cleveland team that bore little resemblance to the real Cavaliers. LeBron James and J.R. Smith watched from the bench. Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving didn't even get that far. None of those four starters played because Cleveland already had clinched the No. 2 playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Still, Stevens was impressed with the 117-78 victory Sunday that reduced to one Boston's magic number for a postseason spot that seemed so unlikely not long ago.

Pistons 116, Hornets 77

If this was Greg Monroe's last home game at the Palace, he and his teammates certainly made the most of it. Monroe scored 17 points, and Andre Drummond added 15 points and 19 rebounds to help the Detroit Pistons turn their home finale into a rout, 116-77 over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Monroe is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Nuggets 122, Kings 111

George Karl was hoping for a triumphant return to Denver. He had to settle for a warm welcome from a friendly crowd. Kenneth Faried scored a season-high 30 points and the Denver Nuggets spoiled Karl's return, beating the Sacramento Kings 122-111 on Sunday.

Sunday, April 12 Scoreboard

Milwaukee 96, Brooklyn 73

Boston 117, Cleveland 78    

Detroit 116, Charlotte 77

Denver 112, Sacramento 111

Indiana 116, Oklahoma 104

Washington 108, Atlanta 99

Houston 121, New Orleans 114

San Antonio 107, Phoenix 91

Dallas 120, Los Angeles 106

Monday, April 13 Schedule (All Times Central)

Houston at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Cleveland, 6 p.m.

Milwaukee at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

New York at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

Chicago at Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m.

Orlando at Miami, 6:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Portland at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Utah, 8 p.m.

Los Angeles at Sacramento, 9 p.m.

Memphis at Golden State, 9:30 p.m.

Denver at Los Angeles, 9:30 p.m.