The Los Angeles Clippers clinched the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a hard-fought 124-119 overtime win against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon. With a convincing win at Chase Center, the Clippers punched their ticket to the playoffs. The Warriors are once again going to the play-in tournament. The Minnesota Timberwolves moved into the Western Conference playoffs with a dramatic 116-105 victory over the Utah Jazz. Today, they find themselves preparing for a wonderful first-round matchup with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
As expected, the exciting rivalry matchup between the Clippers and Warriors lived up to the hype for hoops fans. Both teams beautifully positioned themselves to make the most of their unimaginative play calling. On the other side of the court, Kawhi Leonard was sensational for the Clippers with 39 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. His dominance was a throwback to the two-time Finals MVP everybody’s been waiting to see again for so long.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, those shooting struggles came from star guard Stephen Curry, who overcame an injured shooting thumb to lead Golden State with 36 points. His impressive effort was not enough to sink Golden State, though his effort kept the Warriors in striking distance and fighting hard. For the Clippers, Jimmy Butler was just as integral, tossing in 30 points while adding in nine rebounds.
With this loss, the Warriors will now participate in the play-in tournament and face off against the Memphis Grizzlies in the 7-8 matchup. The winner of this play-in game will advance to the NBA playoffs, while the loser will be eliminated and miss the playoffs altogether. Oklahoma City and Houston were two of the other teams that will be waiting on the play-in results to see who they will face.
For the first time since conferences were formed in the 1970-71 season, three teams from one conference clinched playoff berths on the final day of the regular season. With that win, the Denver Nuggets clinched their fourth seed today by beating the still-stumbling Houston Rockets, 126-111. This victory highlights exactly how competitive this year’s Western Conference is proving to be.
With the playoffs quickly approaching, fans and analysts alike are ready to see just what these matchups have to offer. The Clippers have demonstrated they can perform under pressure, while the Warriors will need to regroup quickly if they hope to make a run in the playoffs.
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