2024-04-15 10:25:08
“NBA”: Suns and Pacers to the “Playoff”… and the Thunder secures top spot in the West
The Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers clinched the last two spots to qualify directly for the NBA Playoffs in the Western and Eastern regions, respectively, while the Oklahoma City Thunder finished the regular season at the top of the West.
The regular season has entered its final day and five teams have guaranteed their direct qualification to the playoffs in both the Western and Eastern regions, leaving a seat in each of them. In the end, the Suns and Pacers went with the victory of the first over the host Minnesota Timberwolves 125-106 and the second over the guest Atlanta Hawks 157-115. .
The New Orleans Pelicans will go into the playoffs in the West, along with the California trio, Los Angeles, the Sacramento Kings, and the Golden State Warriors, while the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat will join the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks in the East in order to compete for the two playoff tickets that qualify for the Playoffs. .
Those in the top six positions in both the Eastern and Western regions qualify directly for the playoffs, with those in positions 7 to 10 going into the playoffs.
The season begins on Tuesday and ends on Friday, with the ninth and tenth meeting in each of the two regions in one match, and the seventh and eighth.
The winner of the seventh-eighth match in each of the two regions qualifies as the seventh-place finisher in the playoffs.
Indiana Pacers beat Atlanta Hawks 157-115 (AFP)
The loser of the seventh and eighth match will then meet the winner of the ninth and tenth match, with the winner between them being the eighth and last place in the “playoff” of each of the two regions.
The Pelicans will meet the Lakers to decide the seventh place card in the West, while the loser between them will play with the winner of the match against the Kings and Warriors.
Seventh place in the East will go to the winner between the Sixers and the Heat, with the loser between them facing the winner of the Bulls and Hawks for the eighth place card.
Coincidentally, the Lakers’ last match in the regular season was against the Pelicans in particular, and they returned victorious from the latter’s court 124-108 thanks to their veteran star LeBron James, who achieved three double figures, “a triple double”, by scoring 28 points with 17 assists and 11 rebounds, in addition to five steals. (Steele), giving his team eighth place.
Anthony Davis also shined against the team that brought him to the league in “Draft” 2012, scoring 30 points with 11 rebounds, with the hope that he will repeat this level when the two teams face again on Tuesday on the same field.
Davis did not complete the final minutes of the match due to pain in his lower back, but he reassured the Lakers fans by saying: “I will play without a doubt” in Tuesday’s match, adding: “I will get some massage, some treatment.” “I will see how I feel in the next 36 hours and I will be ready.”
The Thunder remained clinging to the lead in the West, while the runner-up went to the defending champion Denver Nuggets, with the former winning by a landslide over its host Dallas Mavericks 135-86, taking advantage of the latter’s decision to rest four starters, headed by Slovenian Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and the latter defeating its host Memphis Grizzlies 126-111. .
Oklahoma City Thunder finished the season at the top of the West (AFP)
The Thunder and Nuggets entered the final day of the regular season, and they were the same distance from the Timberwolves in the struggle for leadership of the West, but the latter’s loss to the Suns and their victory made the defending champion advance to second place behind the Thunder on the difference in direct confrontations.
Thus, the Thunder finished the regular season at the top of the Western Conference for the first time since the 2012-2013 season, and in the first round they will meet the team that finishes the playoffs in eighth place, while the Nuggets will play seventh and the Timberwolves will play sixth with the Suns.
The New York Knicks snatched second place from the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference by defeating the visiting Chicago Bulls by a point difference of 120-119 after overtime.
Jaylen Brunson starred for the Knicks by scoring 40 points, while Donte DiVincenzo added 25 and led their team to their 50th victory in the last 82nd game.
The Knicks rose to second place, benefiting from the loss of the Milwaukee Bucks, who fell to third place, to the host Orlando Magic V, 88-113.
The Boston Celtics secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference and had the best record in the league for a long time after achieving 62 wins, the last of which was over the visiting Washington Wizards 132-122.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who were hoping to take second place, also fell to the visiting Charlotte Hornets 120-110, settling for fourth place, to play Orlando in the first round.
The Bucks will face the Pacers in the first round, hoping to recover in time their Greek star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was injured on Tuesday in his calf during the victory over the Celtics.
The Heat will enter the playoffs after finishing in eighth place despite beating the visiting Toronto Raptors 118-103.
1713183664
#Tsitsipas #returns #top #ten #club