Before the final day of the North American basketball professional league NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers have secured the best starting position in the fight for the last direct playoff spots.
The Clippers won their mandatory task against the already eliminated Portland Trail Blazers with 136:125 (64:70). Star player Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points for the Clippers, who are fifth in the Western Conference and have their fate in their own hands in the final game of the season.
A win at the Phoenix Suns on Sunday would keep the Clippers in fifth place and put them face-to-face again in the first round of the playoffs with the Suns already tied for fourth in the West.
It’s about two direct playoff places
Behind the Clippers, defending champions Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers with Dennis Schröder and the New Orleans Pelicans are still hoping for a direct playoff spot. The first six teams in each conference are directly qualified, the teams in places seven to ten each determine two playoff participants in a play-in tournament.
While the Warriors (with the Trail Blazers) and Lakers (against the Utah Jazz) meet two teams that are no longer about anything, the Pelicans have to compete against the ninth-placed Minnesota Timberwolves. In the best-case scenario, they could finish seventh if they win. The Timberwolves secured this starting position on Saturday with a clear 151:131 win at the San Antonio Spurs.
In the Eastern Conference, the first six playoff teams and the four participants of the play-in tournament are already determined before the final day of the regular season.
