<p>CLEVELAND — Kevin Love scored a season-high 30 points, Collin Sexton added 28 and the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 102-94 win in their home finale over Boston on Wednesday night, locking the Celtics into a spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament.</p>
<p>Boston, which played without starters Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart due to injuries, came in with an outside chance to catch New York for the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference standings with only three games left.</p>
<p>But a loss to the lowly Cavs means the Celtics will be involved in the four-team play-in involving the Nos. 7-10 seeds.</p>
<p>Love made six 3-pointers, including two in an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter, and had 14 rebounds as Cleveland closed out a miserable season at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with its first win since April 21.</p>
<p>Jayson Tatum scored 29 (on 11-of-26 shooting) and Evan Fournier had 15 for the Celtics, who have lost eight of 11.</p>
<p>It was Boston’s first road game since losing All-Star forward Jaylen Brown for the rest of this season with a torn wrist ligament. Brown’s absence is a devastating blow to the club’s playoff chances, which were beginning to look shaky in recent weeks anyway.</p>
<p>With playoff positioning on the line, and in need of a confidence boost after a rough stretch, the Celtics were also without Walker (knee management) and Smart (bruised calf), leaving Tatum to carry too much of the offensive load.</p>
<p>The Cavs have dealt with their own injury issues and were without several key players, including starting point guard Darius Garland. He missed his seventh straight game with a sprained ankle.</p>
<p>Love’s two 3s helped the Cavs open an 80-72 lead, and after the Celtics got within seven, he and Sexton hit consecutive long-range shots to put Cleveland ahead 89-76.</p>
<p>THOMPSON TRIBUTE</p>
<p>Boston’s Tristan Thompson received a warm ovation in his first game back in Cleveland.</p>
<p>The No. 4 overall pick in 2011, Thompson spent nine seasons with the Cavs before signing as a free agent with the Celtics in November.</p>
<p>“He’s a great person. He’s a great teammate,” said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who appreciated Thompson’s leadership and work ethic. "The legacy here speaks for itself. He’s a guy who this city embraced, obviously, part of a rebuild all the way to a championship. He was there the entire way. His style is respected and appreciated.”</p>
<p>GOOD BYE, GOOD LUCK</p>
<p>The home finale was also a send-off for Cavs center Anderson Varejao and assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb.</p>
<p>Varejao signed a 10-day contract with the Cavs last week to finish season, returning for a farewell after he spent 11-plus seasons with Cleveland.</p>
<p>Gottlieb is leaving after two seasons to coach at USC.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Celtics: Coach Brad Stevens said even if Boston was still in the hunt for a higher playoff spot that Walker would not have played. He has sat the second game of back-to-backs all season. “No reason to push it,” Stevens said. … C Robert Williams received a cortisone injection in his turf toe injury Monday. Stevens said the team is being cautious with the big man, hoping he’ll be available for the postseason.</p>
<p>Cavaliers: In a season of few positives, Garland was a bright spot. The second-year guard averaged 17.7 points and 6.2 points, an increase from his rookie stats (12.3, 3.9). Beyond that, he showed a better understanding of what it takes to be an NBA point guard. “The improvement from his rookie season to his second year, the leap, is almost unheard of,” Bickerstaff said. … Finished (13-23, 12-23 coming in) at home.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Celtics: At Minnesota on Saturday. Tatum scored a career-high 53 in Boston’s overtime win against Minnesota on April 9.</p>
<p>Cavaliers: Visit Washington on Friday before finishing the season Sunday at Brooklyn.</p>
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