Nikola Jokić scored 23 points in a first-half outing as the Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs 128-118 to clinch third seed in the Western Conference on the NBA regular season’s final day.
The win dropped the Los Angeles Lakers to fourth, despite their 131-107 victory over the Utah Jazz—without top scorers Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves due to injury. LeBron James, 41, added 18 points, six assists, and four rebounds in the first half.
Denver host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-offs’ first round, while the Lakers face the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets.
Three-time MVP Jokić, 31, played just over 18 minutes, grabbing eight rebounds to hit 65 games and qualify for end-of-season awards. Teammate Julian Strawther led with 25 points; Jonas Valančiūnas had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Second-seeded San Antonio, who locked in a play-off spot against the Mavericks, host the winner of the in-play tournament between Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns.
The in-play tournament is a post-season round-robin for the seventh and eighth seeds per conference. Top West seed Oklahoma City Thunder (defending champions), plus Eastern seeds Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, await their opponents after it ends on Friday.
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