The Golden State Warriors roared into the NBA playoffs with a 157-101 blowout of Portland on Sunday, making certain the Los Angeles Lakers will battle in the play-in after a 128-117 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Every group was in motion on the ultimate day of the common season, however all eyes have been on the Western Conference the place greater than a dozen potential seeding outcomes rested on the outcomes of 4 video games.
The reigning champion Warriors moved shortly to simplify issues for themselves, exploding for an NBA first-quarter file of 55 factors in the opening body.
Klay Thompson made 5 of the Warriors’ 12 three-pointers in the interval — a file for treys by any group in an NBA quarter.
Thompson — who completed with six three-pointers and 20 factors — grew to become the third participant in NBA historical past to hit 300 three-pointers in a single season. Teammate Stephen Curry has completed it 4 instances and James Harden has completed it as soon as.
The Warriors led by 28 after the primary quarter, and Curry took over with 10 of his 26 factors in the second because the Warriors took an 84-53 halftime lead.
They coasted residence, with all of the Warriors starters sitting out the fourth interval.
“It’s been a really up and down season, however if you get to the playoffs none of that issues,” said Golden State talisman Draymond Green after the Warriors clinched the sixth seed in the West and a first-round series against the third-seeded Sacramento Kings.
“The real season starts,” Green stated, “And that’s what issues.”
The Los Angeles Clippers snagged the fifth seed with a 119-114 victory over the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns — and the teams will meet again in the first round.
The Lakers, meanwhile, finished seventh and will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in on Tuesday, the winner advancing to the playoffs as the seventh seed in the West.
LeBron James drained eight three-pointers on the way to 36 points for the Lakers, who started the season 2-10 but have clawed their way to a post-season shot.
Anthony Davis scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds and D’Angelo Russell added 17 points for the Lakers, who have won nine of their last 11 games.
“Our team is very well put together,” James stated. “We obtained numerous good stability. We did an excellent job of placing collectively a group that matches round AD and myself after the break. We’re simply making an attempt to make it occur on the ground.”
With the short-handed Jazz refusing to go away, James made three three-pointers in the last three and a half minutes — the last a final dagger with 39 seconds remaining.
– Timberwolves tumult –
The Timberwolves snatched the eighth spot from New Orleans with a tumultuous 113-108 victory over the Pelicans.
The Timberwolves never led until the fourth quarter. A heated exchange between forward Kyle Anderson and center Rudy Gobert during a second-quarter timeout ended with Gobert taking a swing at his teammate before others stepped in to separate the two.
Minnesota quickly announced that Gobert would not return to the game, and Jaden McDaniels then had to leave the game after injuring his hand punching a wall in frustration.
“We made the decision to send Rudy Gobert home after the incident in the second quarter,” Timberwolves president Tim Connelly stated. “His habits on the bench was unacceptable and we’ll deal with the scenario internally.”
However, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 12 of his 30 points in the final quarter and the Timberwolves — with 26 points and 13 rebounds from Anthony Edwards — withstood a 42-point performance from New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram to give themselves a more favorable play-in position.
If they lose to the Lakers, they’ll nonetheless attain the playoffs with a win over the play-in sport between the Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder.
With seeding settled in the East going into Sunday’s games there was little drama.
The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 134-105 in a preview of their upcoming first-round playoff series.
Brooklyn guard Mikal Bridges was the only regular starter for either team to play, clocking just seconds on court but extending his streak of consecutive games played to 392 — a perfect record over the first five seasons of his NBA career.
Bridges played his 83rd game of the 82-game season — gaining an extra game because of his February trade from Phoenix.
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