After all 20 teams that qualified for the postseason concluded their regular seasons on Sunday, the NBA’s playoff bracket and play-in tournament field began to take shape. The Denver Nuggets, who defeated the Memphis Grizzlies to finish second, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who fell to third after a loss to the Phoenix Suns, were surpassed by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who dominated the Dallas Mavericks to claim the top spot in the Western Conference.
Kevin Durant’s Suns moved up to the sixth spot, while the New Orleans Pelicans fell to the seventh after the Suns’ victory and the Los Angeles Lakers’ road victory against them. With their victory, LeBron James’ Lakers earned the eighth seed.
When the season is over, Oklahoma City will be ranked first in the West, followed by Denver, Minnesota, Los Angeles Clippers, No. 4, Dallas, and No. 6. Phoenix, the No. 8 Lakers, the No. 9 Sacramento, the No. 7 New Orleans, and the No. 10 Golden State as per the NBA website.
In the West’s first-round series, the Timberwolves vs. Suns and the Clippers vs. Mavericks matchups. The Pelicans vs. Lakers play-in winner will take on the Nuggets. The winner advances to play the Thunder in the first round. The play-in winner among the Kings and Warriors will take on the loser of the Pelicans-Lakers match.
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NBA Playoffs Story Unfolds on the Final Day
The two most significant endings in the West were the Suns’ 125-106 shock of the Timberwolves in Minnesota and the Lakers’ 124-108 triumph over the Pelicans. Phoenix assured themselves a postseason berth by defeating Minnesota.
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The Lakers’ Tuesday matchup with the Warriors in San Francisco would have been crucial if they had fallen to the Pelicans. Instead, they will get two opportunities to advance to the postseason by winning a play-in game. The Lakers won 11 of their last 14 games to wrap off the season, but all-star forward Anthony Davis left the game early on Sunday due to back pain. Davis stated to the media that he plans to play on Tuesday.
After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 121-82, the Kings qualified to play host to the Warriors in the play-in game between the West’s ninth and tenth seeds on Tuesday. Golden State decided to rest Draymond Green and Stephen Curry during the season finale to prepare for the play-in round. Curry’s 50 points in a Game 7 victory in Sacramento last year advanced the Warriors over the Kings in the first round of the playoffs.
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