Lakers clinch; Nuggets follow
The Los Angeles Lakers hit win No. 50 to clinch a playoff spot — their 50th win this season — and the Denver Nuggets also locked up a postseason berth, extending their playoff streak to eight straight. Both moves tightened the Western seeding picture with under two weeks left in the regular season. (cbssports.com)(bleacherreport.com)
L.A. closed Tuesday with a 127-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena, a game in which Luka Dončić scored 42 points and handed out 12 assists while Deandre Ayton added 18 points and nine rebounds. (espn.com)) That result put the Lakers at 50-26, and earlier in the night Phoenix’s 115-111 loss to Orlando officially handed Los Angeles the Pacific Division crown and a guaranteed top‑six seed in the West. (espn.com)) CBS’s playoff update lists the Lakers as holding the tiebreaker versus Denver and projects L.A. as the No. 3 seed while the Nuggets sit two games back at 48-28 in the standings. (cbssports.com)) Denver’s berth was clinched off‑court when the Suns fell to the Magic 115-111 on March 31, a result that made the Nuggets’ spot in the postseason mathematically secure and solidified their 48-28 mark. (espn.com)) The clinch extends Denver’s consecutive playoff streak to eight seasons, and Bleacher Report highlights Nikola Jokić’s season averages at roughly 27.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists as Denver shapes its seeding push. (denversports.com)) Both clubs have played 76 regular‑season games (six remaining for each) with the league slate ending April 12, the SoFi play‑in scheduled to begin April 14 and the full playoffs set to start April 18. (espn.com))
