THE FINAL NBA playoff place will be decided on the final day of the regular season.
The Spurs, Thunder and Pelicans all clinched Western Conference playoff spots on Monday, leaving Wednesday’s matchup between the Nuggets and Timberwolves in Minnesota as a play-in game to reach the playoffs.
Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double on Monday and Gary Harris knocked down clutch free throws in his return from an 11-game absence as Denver won their sixth straight match in an 88-82 win over the Blazers that puts Portland in danger of losing the number three seed.
The Spurs came from behind to beat the lowly Kings 98-85 to mark their 21st straight playoff berth. San Antonio improved to 33-8 at home this season and currently hold the number five seed in the West due to tiebreakers over the Thunder.
Speaking of Oklahoma City, with a 115-93 road win over the Heat, the Thunder clinched their eighth playoff berth in 10 seasons since moving to Oklahoma. The Thunder outscored Miami 39-12 in the final quarter and Dwyane Wade registered a minus-31 to fuel the win.
Russell Westbrook posted a monster triple-double (23-18-13) – despite a poor shooting night – and he needs 16 rebounds in his final game to average a triple-double for the season.
New Orleans capped Monday’s slate with a 113-100 rout of the Clippers behind a barrage of dunks and 28 points from Anthony Davis.
With two nights remaining in the regular season, there are plenty of seeding scenarios still in play across the league. In fact, the Pelicans can still move up to the number four seed if they beat the Spurs on Wednesday, and if Utah lose to Golden State on Tuesday and Portland a day later.
The Cavs coasted past the Knicks for a 123-109 win that also gave Cleveland the Central Division title.
It marks LeBron James’ 10th consecutive division title. He is the first player in NBA history to win 10 straight division championships.
The Pistons are ready for the season to be over. Stan Van Gundy’s public reprimand of the team’s effort did little to motivate on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Andre Drummond (Achilles) sat out and Stanley Johnson registered a minus-21 and was two for 10 shooting in a 108-98 loss to the Raptors.
