NBA roundup: Spurs, Thunder, Pelicans clinch playoff bids

(Reuters) Rudy Gay scored 18 points off the bench, and Manu Ginobili added 17 as the San Antonio Spurs bumbled and stumbled through the first 3 1/2 quarters but found a way to defeat the visiting Sacramento Kings 9885 on Monday and clinch a 21st consecutive playoff berth.

The win allowed the Spurs to continue the league’s longest active postseason streak and tie the Portland Trail Blazers (1983-2003) for the second-longest streak in NBA history. The Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers hold the record at 22 seasons from 1950-71. No other NBA team has an active streak longer than six seasons. LaMarcus Aldridge added 15 points and 14 rebounds for San Antonio, while Patty Mills hit for 15 points and Bryn Forbes scored 11 for the Spurs. Willie Cauley-Stein led all scorers with 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Kings.

Thunder 115, Heat 93

Russell Westbrook recorded his NBA-leading 25th triple-double to help Oklahoma City clinch a playoff berth with a win at Miami.

Westbrook scored 23 points, grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds and dished off 13 assists. Paul George had a game-high 27 points, and Jerami Grant added 17.

Josh Richardson led Miami with 18 points, and Hassan Whiteside added 16 with eight rebounds.

Pelicans 113, Clippers 100

Anthony Davis scored 28 points, and New Orleans clinched a playoff berth with a victory at Los Angeles.

The Pelicans won their fourth consecutive game as they completed a sweep of a three-game road trip to reach the playoffs for the first time in three years.

New Orleans’ Nikola Mirotic had 24 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, E’Twaun Moore scored 19 and Ian Clark returned from a two-game absence caused to a sprained ankle to score 13 off the bench. Sindarius Thornwell scored 20 points to lead the Clippers.

Nuggets 88, Trail Blazers 82

Nikola Jokic had his second triple-double in as many games, and Denver used a fourth-quarter comeback to beat visiting Portland, keeping the Nuggets’ playoff hopes alive. The Nuggets, who trailed by 11 points early in the third quarter, outscored the Trail Blazers 22-13 in the fourth quarter.

Denver, which won its sixth straight game, and Minnesota are both 46-35 and tied for eighth place in the Western Conference standings. The winner of the Nuggets’ Wednesday night regular-season finale in Minneapolis will go to the playoffs.