The China Mail - Nuggets roll into NBA playoffs, Raptors clinch berth

On a day when coaches rested dozens of players in preparation for the looming playoffs, three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic had to play at least 15 minutes to be eligible for end of season awards, including MVP.

The Serbian big man played just over 18, propelling the Nuggets to a 70-56 halftime lead that they wouldn't relinquish against a Spurs team whose own MVP contender Victor Wembanyama sat out with a rib injury.

The Nuggets clinched the third seed in the West, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio, and will face the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

The Los Angeles Lakers settled for fourth despite a 131-107 victory and will face the Houston Rockets.

That series will pit Lakers superstar LeBron James against old rival Kevin Durant, but James could well be without the support of NBA leading scorer Luka Doncic, who is battling to recover from a hamstring strain.

"We're going to prepare and we're going to fight and we're going to go try and win the series," Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

The Toronto Raptors rolled past the Brooklyn Nets 136-101 and bagged the Eastern Conference fifth seed as the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks both lost.

RJ Barrett scored 26 points, Brandon Ingram added 25 and Scottie Barnes delivered a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to help the 2019 champion Raptors return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

"That was our aspiration for the year," Barnes said. "It's a big relief."

Toronto, who came into the day in sixth in the East with a chance not only to rise but also to fall into the play-in tournament, will meet the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

The Miami Heat warmed up for the play-in with a 143-117 victory over the Hawks.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 26 points off the bench and Bam Adebayo scored 25 points with 10 rebounds for the Heat, who finished 10th in the East and will face the Charlotte Hornets, who secured the ninth seed with a 110-96 victory over the third-seeded New York Knicks.

The Hawks slipped from fifth to sixth, still avoiding the play-in that will see the seventh- through 10th-placed teams battle for the last two playoff berths in each conference.

- 60 wins for Detroit -

East second seeds Boston held out eight regulars, including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

But Baylor Scheirman scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Celtics to a 113-108 victory over Orlando that saw the Magic finish with the eighth seed in the East and book a road play-in road game against the Philadelphia 76ers, who beat the Milwaukee Bucks 126-106.

The Portland Trail Blazers secured the eighth seed in the West with a 122-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings and will face seventh-seeded Phoenix in the play-in.

East top seeds Detroit polished off the regular season with a 133-121 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Detroit's third straight win pushed their regular-season total to 60 for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, already assured of the West's top seed and best record in the league, fell 135-103 to Phoenix in a season finale that saw both teams fielding their reserves.

C.Smith--ThChM