SAN FRANCISCO — With 7:36 remaining in the third quarter, Jimmy Butler was hunched over at the free throw line trying to catch his breath, looking very much like “Playoff Jimmy” as he and the Golden State Warriors were locked into a battle with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and the LA Clippers.
For several West teams, the final day of the regular season felt like the playoffs had already begun. And it required overtime to determine the Western Conference playoff picture. The Clippers outlasted the Warriors 124-119 in overtime at Chase Center to settle one of the most chaotic regular-season finishes in recent memory.
Entering Game No. 82, the Western Conference’s fourth through 10th spots were up in the air. Only Oklahoma City, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers had secured the top three spots.
By the end, the Denver Nuggets secured the fourth seed with an 126-111 win over the Rockets. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets will host the Clippers, who secured the fifth seed with their massive win at Golden State.
The third-seeded Lakers and LeBron James will play Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, who handled business with a 116-105 win over Utah.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time three teams from a single conference clinched a playoff spot on the final day of the season since conferences were established in 1970-71.
Top-seeded Oklahoma City and second-seeded Houston will wait for the play-in to determine who they will face.
Due to Golden State’s loss, the Warriors will be in the play-in tournament and host Memphis in the 7-8 game. The Kings and Mavericks will square off in the 9-10 game.
The Clippers and Warriors were in the spotlight on Sunday afternoon and the game didn’t disappoint with a thrilling finish. Leonard is nearing the form that made him a two-time Finals MVP, finishing with 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Harden hit two big 3-pointers at the start of overtime to help the Clippers win. He finished with 39 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Stephen Curry, playing with an injured shooting thumb, finished with 36 points and Butler had 30 points and nine rebounds. Butler also came up gimpy after Leonard drove into him late in the game but remained in the game.
Source: espn.com