A few months ago, it seemed as though the Lakers would never be able to qualify for the NBA playoffs, but here they are after they secured the seventh seed in the Western Conference on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, the Hawks also claimed their postseason berth, and they’ll take on the Celtics in the first round, while the Bulls and the Thunder extended their campaigns for at least one more game.
And now there are four, as the Heat and Bulls fight for the final spot in the East, while the Timberwolves and the Thunder do the same in the West.
Lakers survive in ugly OT win
The Lakers were unable to avoid the play-in, but they took firm control of their playoff fate, getting themselves a date against the Grizzlies in the first round after defeating the Timberwolves 108-102.
The SBOTOP NBA 2023 odds had the Lakers as the favourites because the Timberwolves were in turmoil and were shorthanded on the road, but that didn’t faze the visitors at all.
Minnesota led for most of the night, but they were unable to score for six full minutes in the final period. Karl-Anthony Towns had to sit out for a while because he had five fouls, and the Lakers began their comeback and eventually took the lead.
With the game tied at 95 points, LeBron James found Dennis Schroder open at the corner, and the German point guard drilled the tiebreaking three with 1.4 seconds left. However, the Timberwolves forced OT when Mike Conley knocked down all three of his free throws after Anthony Davis fouled him on his three-point attempt.
Prior to yesterday, the Lakers had a bad record in overtime games this season, but they weren’t to be denied this time. They won it with defence, holding Minnesota to only four points compared to the 10 that they had in extra time.
LeBron James led all scorers with 30 points, and he also had 10 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. Anthony Davis recorded 24 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, and Dennis Schroder had 21 points off the bench.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley had 24 and 23 points, respectively, for the Timberwolves.
Hawks outhustled the Heat
The Hawks are now 3-0 all-time in play-in tournament games – the best mark in the league – after defeating the Heat 116-105 in the other game yesterday.
Atlanta are not really known for their toughness, but they earned this one on their hustle, outrebounding Miami 63-39, including 22-6 on the offencive glass.
Because of their advantage on the boards, the Hawks outscored the Heat 26-6 in second-chance points, which was essentially the ball game.
The Heat managed to reduce the Hawks’ first-half double-digit lead to five points late in the third quarter. The Hawks, however, had a response when the Heat were set to go on a run following that.
Seven different Hawks scored in double digits, and Trae Young led the way with 25 points. But the x-factor here was Clint Capela, who hauled in 21 rebounds, including eight on the offencive glass.
Kyle Lowry had a vintage performance off the bench, notching 33 points and six three-pointers. Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler had 26 and 21 points in the losing effort for Miami.
Bulls and Thunder need one more win for 8th
Chicago came back from 19 points down to beat Toronto 109-105 on the road. Zach LaVine was the man of the hour for the Bulls, as he had 39 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
One of the biggest factors in this game was the free-throw shooting between these two teams. Both made 18 shots from the charity stripe, but the Bulls were more efficient as they missed only four.
The Raptors, who were 78-per cent from the line this season, only shot 50-per cent. DeMar DeRozan’s daughter, Diar, made headlines in NBA 2023 news for screaming at every Raptors free throw.
In New Orleans, the Thunder eliminated the Pelicans with a score of 123-118. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Lu Dort combined for 90 points in the victory, while Brandon Ingram had 30 points for the hosts.
The lead was exchanged by both teams in the fourth quarter, but Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup with 28.3 seconds to go gave the Thunder the lead for good.
Brandon Ingram thought he tied the game with a possible four-point play when he made a contested three over Lu Dort, but no foul was called, and the Thunder made enough free throws to ice the game.
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