Scoreboard
Lakers 129, Jazz 117
Celtics 120, Hawks 114
76ers 134, Nets 105
Hornets 106, Cavaliers 95
Heat 123, Magic 110
Pacers 141, Knicks 136
Raptors 121, Bucks 105
Rockets 114, Wizards 109
Bulls 103, Pistons 81
Spurs 138, Mavericks 117
Timberwolves 113, Pelicans 108
Thunder 115, Grizzlies 100
Nuggets 109, Kings 95
Clippers 119, Suns 114
Warriors 157, Trail Blazers 101
What went down
THE BRACKET IS SET 🍿 pic.twitter.com/j7Dn0yxXyy
— NBA (@NBA) April 9, 2023
The dust has settled and we finally have our contenders in our postseason. The Golden State Warriors are in the playoffs. LeBron James is heading to the Play-In Tournament. And the Minnesota Timberwolves lost Rudy Gobert mid-game when he fought with Kyle Anderson, but eventually won the match to improve their playoff hopes.
The final day of the NBA regular season was expectedly wild — with numerous elements contributing to its surprising ending.
Anthony Edwards had to lead the way for the Timberwolves after Gobert threw a punch at teammate Anderson late in the second quarter and was sent home for the day, just after Jaden McDaniels hurt his right hand by hitting a wall out of frustration.
Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate.
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) April 10, 2023
Edwards finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, four steals, and four blocks to push down New Orleans, 113-108, passing the Pelicans in the play-in seeding.
The Timberwolves were lagging behind the strong scoring output of the Pelicans in the first half, with the highest deficit of 14 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter while Taurean Prince pitched in 18 points off the bench to keep their squad in the game.
After their fiasco in the first half, the Timberwolves were able to regroup and keep their heads in the game, eventually overtaking the Pelicans in the last frame.
Minnesota (42-40) finished in eighth place and will travel to Los Angeles to play the surging seventh-place Lakers (42-39) in the play-in tournament. The winner there will get the 7th seed and a first-round matchup with Memphis.
Brandon Ingram outscored the Wolves 21-18 in the first quarter by himself and finished with 42 markers and 12 boards for the Pelicans. C.J. McCollum helped him out and added 23 points while Trey Murphy went on to drop his own 20.
Big-time ballers
Stephen Curry and the Warriors made it rain in their matchup with the Trail Blazers, becoming only the fourth team in NBA history to record four games with 25 or more 3PM in a single season. Klay Thompson also recorded his 300th triple of his career.
What he said
“Gamer. Winner, Leader, Mentor – all of it.”
Long-time veteran Udonis Haslem scored a game-high 24 points in his final regular season contest as the Miami Heat defeated Orlando Magic, 123-110. Besides Haslem, only Dirk Nowitzki and the late Kobe Bryant played at least two decades with the same franchise.
Did you see that?
LeBron James with the dagger from DEEP, his 8th of the afternoon 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 9, 2023
He then proceeds to put the crown on his head 👑pic.twitter.com/pp5D74QLB8
LeBron James shoots way beyond the arc and reminds everyone who’s King.
