Lakers win, Nuggets too
A recent roundup video captured the late‑season dynamic: the Lakers won their final game but Denver won theirs as well, underlining how one team’s result can be negated by a competitor’s simultaneous win (youtube.com). Full‑game highlight clips from April 12 — Lakers vs. Jazz and Spurs vs. Nuggets — were posted as well, showing the specific game moments that shaped those parallel outcomes ( ).
The Los Angeles Lakers won their regular-season finale on April 12, but the Denver Nuggets won too, leaving Los Angeles in the Western Conference’s No. 4 seed. (nba.com) Los Angeles beat the Utah Jazz 131-107 at Crypto.com Arena, while Denver beat the San Antonio Spurs 128-118 in San Antonio later the same day. The final bracket on NBA.com lists Denver at 54-28 and the Lakers at 53-29. (nba.com; nba.com; nba.com) That meant the Lakers’ win did not move them past Denver in the standings. The Nuggets finished one game ahead, so they claimed the No. 3 seed and the Lakers stayed at No. 4. (nba.com; foxsports.com) The playoff effect was immediate. Denver drew the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles drew the No. 5 seed Houston Rockets in the first round. (nba.com; nba.com) The National Basketball Association’s postseason format sends the top six teams in each conference directly to the playoffs, while seeds seven through 10 go to the play-in tournament. In 2026, that play-in runs from April 14 through April 17, and the first round starts April 18. (nba.com) Going into April 12, the Western Conference still had multiple seeds unsettled among Denver, Los Angeles, Houston and Minnesota. The Sporting News described that group as a late-season “logjam” before the final games tipped off. (sportingnews.com) The Denver result carried one more concrete detail: Nikola Jokic appeared in his 65th game of the season, which met the league’s minimum for most major regular-season awards under current rules. The Associated Press said he scored 23 points in the first half of Denver’s win. (msn.com) Los Angeles still closed the regular season with a win streak and home court for the opening round. Denver’s simultaneous win just kept the Lakers one line lower on the bracket. (apnews.com; nba.com)
