WASHINGTON – The Boston Celtics clinched the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) best record this season and home-court advantage throughout the play-offs on April 3 with a 135-100 blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Said coach Joe Mazzulla: “It’s very hard to do. We may never be in this position again. We talked about it as a team. We talked about it before the game, to try to treat this game as the clincher.

“To kind of put that on ourselves to be able to do that. I think it was important for us to simulate that... We should enjoy it tonight, and when we wake up tomorrow – nobody cares.”

Kristaps Porzingis scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Jayson Tatum added 24 points and Jaylen Brown contributed 23 points for the Celtics, who improved to 60-16.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets are next best in the overall standings at 53-23.

Boston have six games remaining but are guaranteed to enjoy home-court advantage throughout the play-offs as they chase an NBA-record 18th title.

Said Porzingis: “We deserve it. I think it’s possibly going to matter if we follow through with the vision we have for ourselves.”

Tatum added: “You learn to appreciate the process. All the while we want to hang a (championship) banner. We can’t skip steps. Winning 60-plus games and clinching the best record in the league, it’s a big deal.

“But you’re going to have to win some games on the road regardless in the play-offs to do what you want to do.”

The Celtics, who last won the NBA Finals in 2008, were back home after a 4-2 road trip. They blew open the contest by outscoring Oklahoma City 42-17 in the fourth quarter.

“Feels great,” Tatum said. “We had a long road trip, 13 days. It was definitely good to come back here, be around our fans and get a win.

“We really just picked up our intensity. That first game back after a long road trip can be kind of tough. We ended up finding our energy.

“It really showed in that second half – we started getting stops, playing faster, knocking down shots.”

Minnesota grabbed a share of the Western Conference lead alongside defending champions Denver with a 133-85 rout of visiting Toronto, stretching the Raptors’ losing streak to 15 games.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 28 points while Naz Reid added 23 points. Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the hosts.

The Timberwolves and the Nuggets are a game ahead of Oklahoma City (52-24).

The injury-hit Milwaukee Bucks (47-29), second in the East behind the Celtics, played without Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Patrick Beverley and lost to the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 111-101.

Jaren Jackson Jr scored 35 points to lead the Grizzlies (26-50) while G.G. Jackson had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Lillard was out with a groin strain, while Middleton has a left ankle injury and Beverley a right ankle sprain.

Anthony Davis scored 35 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, while LeBron James added 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to power the Los Angeles Lakers to a 125-120 victory at the Washington Wizards.

The Lakers (44-33) are ninth in the West, two games ahead of the Golden State Warriors in the penultimate play-in position.

Jalen Johnson posted his first career triple-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to spark the Atlanta Hawks over the visiting Detroit Pistons 121-113.

Reserve Malachi Flynn, averaging only 5.2 points a game this season, scored 50 points for the NBA-worst Pistons, just shy of the NBA record for points off the bench, 51 by Jamal Crawford in 2019.

De’Andre Hunter had 26 points, while Dejounte Murray added 24 for the Atlanta Hawks, who clinched an East play-in berth and eliminated the Brooklyn Nets from play-off contention.

Phoenix’s Devin Booker scored 40 points and Kevin Durant added 32, to lead the Suns over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 122-101 and into a West play-off spot at 45-31.

Getting knocked down into the play-in zone were the New Orleans Pelicans (45-31), who lost at home 117-108 to Orlando, the Magic getting 32 points from Paolo Banchero and 24 from Franz Wagner.

Bahamian centre Deandre Ayton scored 24 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the Portland Trail Blazers over the Charlotte Hornets 89-86.

Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said he will step down after the season. They are out of play-off contention at 18-58. AFP