Thunder top West, Lakers eye play-offs
LOS ANGELES: The unexpected Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the Western Conference top seed ahead of the defending champions Denver Nuggets as the NBA regular season wrapped up on Sunday.
The youthful Thunder rolled past the play-off-bound Dallas Mavericks — who rested Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving among others — 135-86 to emerge from the trio of teams who went into the final day of action tied atop the West.
It marked the first time that three teams entered their final games with identical records, all with a shot at the No.1 seed in a conference.
Thanks to the Thunder’s edge in their head-to-head record, the Nuggets’ 126111 victory over the Grizzlies in Memphis wasn’t enough and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who also had a chance, fell 125-106 to the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns snatched the sixth and final automatic play-off berth and will face the No.3 Timberwolves again in the first round.
In New Orleans, superstar LeBron James scored 28 points with 11 rebounds and 17 assists in his 112th career triple-double to propel the Los Angeles Lakers to a 124-108 victory over the Pelicans and eighth place in the West.
The defeat dropped the Pelicans out of sixth place and they’ll host the Lakers in the play-in tournament today, with the winners advancing to the play-offs as the seventh seed.
James added five steals and Anthony Davis had 30 points and 11 rebounds against his former team. Davis gave Lakers fans a scare when he hobbled out in pain late in the fourth quarter.
Davis said his back “locked up” after he took a shove, but vowed there was “no doubt” he’d play today.
The Golden State Warriors, with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green resting, beat the Utah Jazz 123-116 to lock up the last play-in berth.
They’ll play today against the Sacramento Kings, who cruised past Detroit 123-95, with the winners of that playin game earning a shot at the losers of the Lakers-Pelicans contest for the final Western Conference play-off berth.
There was a bit less to settle in the East but the New York Knicks, fuelled by 40 points from Jalen Brunson, edged the Chicago Bulls 120-119 in overtime to grab the second seed.
Brunson’s pull-up shot with 1:01 minutes remaining in regulation tied it at 109-109.
Brunson fed Donte DiVincenzo for a go-ahead three-pointer with 3:13 left in overtime and the Knicks held on for their 50th win of the season.
The Knicks leapfrogged into second place over the Milwaukee Bucks, who fell 113-88 to the Orlando Magic as Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a third straight game with a leg injury.
The Pacers grabbed the sixth and final automatic play-off spot with an emphatic 157-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks and booked a first-round clash with the Bucks.
The Boston Celtics, already assured of the top seed in the East, closed the regular season with a 64th victory, 132122 over the Washington Wizards.
The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Charlotte Hornets 120-110 and finished fourth. They will meet the Magic in the first round.
The Miami Heat, beaten by the Nuggets in last year’s Finals, finished eighth after a 118-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Tomorrow, the Heat will take on the Philadelphia 76ers, who beat the Brooklyn Nets 107-86, in the play-in.
RESULTS (home team in CAPS)
BOSTON 132 Washington 122, INDIANA 157 Atlanta 115, PHILADELPHIA 107 Brooklyn 86, ORLANDO 113 Milwaukee 88, Charlotte 120 CLEVELAND 110, NEW YORK 120 Chicago 119 (OT), MIAMI 118 Toronto 103, SAN ANTONIO 123 Detroit 95, Denver 126 MEMPHIS 111, SACRAMENTO 121 Portland 82, Houston 116 LA CLIPPERS 105, OKLAHOMA CITY 135 Dallas 86, GOLDEN STATE 123 Utah 116