On the last day of the NBA regular seasonthe young Oklahoma City Thunder took first place in the Western Conference on Sunday thanks to a resounding victory over the Dallas Mavericks by 135-86.
The Thunder needed that victory to avoid being surpassed by the Denver Nuggets or the Minnesota Timberwolves, with whom they were tied in victories at the last day on Sunday.
Oklahoma City’s victory against the Mavericks without Luka Doncic assured them first place, and home field advantage in the playoffs until the Finals, with a final balance of 57 wins and 25 losses.
The Nuggets, defending champions, finished with that same record by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 126-111 on Sunday but finished behind the Thunder due to their three losses in the four direct meetings this season.
The Timberwolves got out of the fight by losing 125-106 to the Phoenix Suns, who will be their rival in the first round of the playoffs that starts on April 20.
In the fight for play-in positions, the Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-108 with a monumental triple double by LeBron James, who had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 17 assists.
This victory secured eighth place for the Lakers, for whom a victory in the playoffs will be enough to advance to the playoffs.
Their rival at the start of the playoff will once again be the Pelicans. The winner of that duel, which will be played in New Orleans, will play in the first round against the Nuggets.
The loser will have a new opportunity on Friday against the winner of the clash between the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors, in a fight from which the Thunder’s rival will emerge in the playoffs.
The other tie will be played by the Los Angeles Clippers, fourth, against the Dallas Mavericks, fifth.
Knicks ante Sixers o Heat
At the close of the regular phase in the East, the New York Knicks beat the Chicago Bulls 120-119 and rose to second place, which holds a difficult first playoff matchup against the Sixers or the Heat.
With the victory in overtime against Chicago, the Knicks ousted the Milwaukee Bucks from second place, who lost by a resounding 113-88 against the Orlando Magic.
Point guard Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks with a spectacular tally of 40 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in front of their Madison Square Garden crowd.
The rival of the New York franchise will come from a duel between Joel Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers and Jimmy Butler’s Miami Heat, who will meet on Wednesday in the playoff.
The loser of this match will have another chance to qualify against the winner of the match between the Chicago Bulls (9th in the East) and the Atlanta Hawks (10th).
The Hawks fell this Sunday by a resounding 157-115 against the Indiana Pacers, paired in the first round with the Milwaukee Bucks, who will have a doubt due to an injury to their leader, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Orlando Magic, fifth, will play the other tie already defined against the Cleveland Cavaliers, fourth.
The Boston Celtics, leaders of the East, beat the Washington Wizards 132-122 and will open against the last placed team in the playoff.
How is the play-in schedule in the NBA?
Below is the program for the NBA playoff playoffs and the teams already qualified for the first round:
Western Conference:
repechage
Tuesday April 16:
- New Orleans Pelicans vs LA Lakers (winner advances to first round as 7th seed)
- Sacramento Kings vs Golden State Warriors (loser is eliminated)
Friday April 19:
- Loser of match 1 against winner of 2 (winner advances to first round as 8th seed)
First round of playoffs (best of seven games)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs (8)
- Denver Nuggets (2) vs (7)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (3) vs Phoenix Suns (6)
- LA Clippers (4) vs Dallas Mavericks (5)
Eastern Conference:
repechage
Wednesday, April 17:
- Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat (winner advances to first round as 7th seed)
- Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks (loser is eliminated)
Friday April 19:
- Loser of match 1 against winner of 2 (winner advances to first round as 8th seed)
First round of playoffs (best of seven games)
- Boston Celtics (1) vs (8)
- New York Knicks (2) vs (7)
- Milwaukee Bucks (3) vs Indiana Pacers (6)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs Orlando Magic (5)
2024-04-15 02:27:39
#NBA #playin #played #enter #playoffs
