Blazers win over Nuggets sends Lakers to play-in tournament
The Portland Trail Blazers clinched the Western Conference's No. 6 seed on the final day of the regular season, thanks to their 132-116 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Portland's win extends the team's NBA-long playoff streak to eight seasons and ensures the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers finish as the West's No. 7 seed. The Lakers face the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament on May 19.
Despite sharing an identical 42-30 record with the Trail Blazers and Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks remain the No. 5 seed because they own a three-team tiebreaker after winning the Southwest Division.
The Mavericks lost their regular-season finale 136-121 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Lakers won their final regular-season tilt 110-98 over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Earlier in the day, the Warriors clinched the West's No. 8 seed on the back of Stephen Curry's 46-point effort in a 113-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
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