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76ers clinch top seed in NBA's East

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Ben Simmons (c) has helped the Philadelphia 76ers clinch the top seeding in the Western Conference.
Camera IconBen Simmons (c) has helped the Philadelphia 76ers clinch the top seeding in the Western Conference. Credit: AP

The Philadelphia 76ers have clinched the top seed for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference with a 122-97 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Seth Curry posted 20 points, Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Australia's Ben Simmons added 13 points and nine assists to help the 76ers improve to 48-23.

Embiid showed the edge that has made him arguably Philadelphia's most-loved athlete when he picked up a technical for a confrontation with Shane Bacon with 3:16 left in the second period.

Sixers fans reigned down "M-V-P!" "M-V-P!" chants on Embiid and those cheers will get even louder in the postseason, as the city announced this week that their home arena, where the 76ers improved to 28-7, can have a 50 per cent capacity when the playoffs begin.

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"Home-court advantage helps a lot," Embiid said.

"We've been dominant at home; we barely lose here. It means a lot to have the No.1 seed.

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"Now's the time to lock in and go get the whole thing."

The 76ers last took the top seed in 2001 when Allen Iverson won the MVP, Larry Brown the Coach of the Year and Aaron McKie the Sixth Man award. That team reached the NBA finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

In Oklahoma City, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points as the Utah Jazz beat the Thunder 109-93 to inch closer to claiming the top seed in the Western Conference.

Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points and Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 18 rebounds for the Jazz, while Boomer Joe Ingles played 26 minutes and contributed five points, five assists and a rebound.

Utah have the league's best record (51-20) and enjoy a one-and-a-half game lead on the Phoenix Suns.

Luka Doncic recorded his 11th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Dallas Mavericks held off the Toronto Raptors 114-110 to clinch a playoff spot.

Russell Westbrook added to his career NBA triple-double record with his 183rd, helping the Washington Wizards clinch a berth in the East's play-in round by beating the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 120-105.

Westbrook finished with 21 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds for the 10th-place Wizards.

Nikola Jokic recorded his triple-double (20 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists) in less than 27 minutes on the court, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 104-91 win at the Detroit Pistons.

The Nuggets and the LA Clippers are tied for third-place in the West after the Clippers fell 122-115 to the Houston Rockets.

Jordan Poole had a career-best 38-point performance as the Golden State Warriors edged the New Orleans Pelicans 125-122 in San Francisco without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.

And Justise Winslow scored a season-high 25 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to help the Memphis Grizzlies edge the Sacramento Kings 107-106.

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