The last night of the regular season is over, and playoff spots and seeds have been set.
What happened on Wednesday night as the season comes to an end? What are the playoff matchups? Here's a look at how it all went down.
The Western Conference playoff matchups are set, even if the seeding is not. 1 Rockets vs. 8 Timberwolves 2 Warriors vs. 7 Spurs The winner of the Blazers-Jazz game will claim the 3 seed, but regardless of the outcome of that game, Portland will face New Orleans and Utah will face OKC in the first round.
The Eastern Conference first-round matchups are set: 1 Raptors vs 8 Wizards 2 Celtics vs 7 Bucks 3 Sixers vs 6 Heat 4 Cavs vs 5 Pacers
Eastern Conference update: the Knicks, Raptors, and Magic lead at halftime, while the Sixers are routing the Bucks late in the first half. If those scores hold, the first-round matchups would be Raptors-Wizards, Celtics-Heat, 76ers-Bucks, and Cavs-Pacers.
Western Conference update: the Wolves lead the Nuggets in the battle for the final playoff spot, while the Pelicans lead the Spurs and the Thunder lead the Grizzlies. If those results hold, the Pelicans would be the 5 seed, the Thunder would be 6, the Spurs would be 7, and the Wolves would be 8. Utah and Portland meet later tonight to determine the 3 and 4 seeds.
New York Knicks 110, Cleveland Cavaliers 98
BPI favorite: Cavs (76.7 percent)
What happened: The Cavs needed a win and a Philly loss to the Bucks to get the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. That didn't happen despite LeBron James playing in his 82nd game of the regular season, so the Cavaliers will see the Indiana Pacers in a rematch of the 2017 quarterfinals.
LeBron James checks out with 1:27 remaining in the 1st Q and the Cavs up 20-15. He has 10 pts (extending his all-time best NBA streak of 873 games straight in double digit points) and 5 reb (assuring that he averages a career high 8.7 rebounds per game for the season).
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 12, 2018
The Knicks, up 17 with two minutes to play, will finish with the 9th-worst record in the NBA. If they'd lost tonight, NYK would have finished tied with Nets for the 8th-worst record. The tie would have been broken by a drawing conducted by the NBA. Now, New York has an 81 percent chance of finishing 9th in the Lottery, a 12 percent chance of finishing 10th and a 6.1 percent chance of finishing with a Top-3 pick.
Toronto Raptors 109, Miami Heat 116 (OT)
BPI favorite: Raptors (71.9 percent)
What happened: The Heat got 32 points from Wayne Ellington off the bench and came back from an 11-point deficit, denying Toronto their first 60-win season. Since they own the tiebreaker over the Bucks, Miami gets No. 6 with a victory, combined with Milwaukee's loss to the Sixers.
Washington Wizards 92, Orlando Magic 101
BPI favorite: Wizards (57.1 percent)
What happened: The Wizards will be the 8th seed in the East. But Washington split the season series against top seed Toronto, and they swept them in the 2015 quarterfinals.
Milwaukee Bucks 95, Philadelphia 76ers 130
BPI favorite: 76ers (68.8 percent)
What happened: Philadelphia enters the postseason on a 16-game win streak, earning the No. 3 seed in the process. Milwaukee's situation is more complicated. The Bucks might have wanted to finish No. 7, meaning they'd get the injury-depleted Celtics in Round 1. That is precisely what happened.
Philly on pace to score 184 points tonight ! Bucks look gassed despite rest. Just no defense.
-@Sixers drop 80 points in the first half. First time that's been done in the history of the Wells Fargo Center.
— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) April 12, 2018
-@Sixers enter the playoffs on a franchise record 16-game winning streak. Longest win streak all-time by a team entering the playoffs.
— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) April 12, 2018
-Secure the 3-seed
-Fultz first triple double
-JoJo wore a creamsicle suit 👌🏽#HereTheyCome #PHILAUnite #TrustTheProcess#DontWakeMeUp
When the youngest member of your squad gets his first career triple-double pic.twitter.com/Cd2cHlHBZF
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 12, 2018
Denver Nuggets 106, Minnesota Timberwolves 112 (OT)
BPI favorite: Wolves (65.2 percent)
What happened: For the first time in 14 years, Minnesota will participate in the postseason. The Timberwolves now owe the Hawks a lottery-protected first-round pick, so two teams are happy.
Timberwolves beat Nuggets in OT to end 14-year playoff drought
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/gJ5CG2wy9D
— Timberwolves' #1 Fans (@ATLHawks) April 11, 2018
It is loud inside Target Center early. The sellout crowd in into it. It will be interesting to see how young T'Wolves deal with early emotion. This franchise wants its first playoff berth in 14 years.
Timberwolves have some momentum and the crowd is rocking here in Minneapolis. Karl-Anthony Towns has 14 points and is imposing his will at the rim right now. Jimmy Butler has eight points and it appears Thibs is going to widen his minutes "guideline" with Butler a little tonight. Timberwolves have found a rhythm in last few minutes because of their ability to get out and move on the break.
Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns each have 16 points as the Timberwolves lead the Nuggets 62-54 at the half. The T'Wolves have had a lot of success getting the ball down low — they are out-scoring the Nuggets 36-24 in the paint. Two keys to watch in the second half: How long will Thibs roll with Butler — who remains on a minutes limit after knee surgery? Will Towns' game change at all in final 24 minutes now that he has three fouls?
No matter how this game ends up for the Nuggets they have to ecstatic about their future with Nikola Jokic. He has risen to the occasion on the biggest stage the regular season can offer. He has 30 points and has played within himself throughout the night. He has been a calming presence for the rest of the young group.
This @Twolves vs @nuggets game is fantastic. Jokic is simply something special. But Towns is getting his too. Jeff Teague has stepped up with a couple of Big 3's. Let's see how this ends.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 12, 2018
Nuggets-Timberwolves is headed to OT.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 12, 2018
Win or go home. Buckle up. pic.twitter.com/Ue9dARt3TD
PLAYOFF BOUND. #AllEyesNorth pic.twitter.com/hJY0cTRGcT
— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 12, 2018
San Antonio Spurs 98, New Orleans Pelicans 122
BPI favorite: Pelicans (52.5 percent)
What happened: San Antonio drops to the 7th seed, where they will meet the Warriors in a rematch of the 2017 Western Conference Finals. The Pelicans will face the Trail Blazers as the No. 6 seed.
Spurs being outscored 24-18 in the paint and 7-2 on the break, but bench is doing its part. SA's reserves are outscoring New Orleans' backups 22-7, led by Tony Parker (6 points), Manu Ginobili (6 points) and Rudy Gay. With the playoffs approaching, it does finally seem like the Spurs have learned to play without star forward Kawhi Leonard. So that could be big once the Western Conference postseason begins.
Amazing to think that the Spurs haven't won a road game since February 25. If the Spurs drop this one in New Orleans, they will have lost 8 consecutive road games, and 11 out of their last 13 outside the friendly confines of the AT&T Center. San Antonio will have to start out on the road against a high seed in the postseason, which is a scary prospect given this team's road woes. The last time the Spurs dropped eight straight on the road was 1997.
Memphis Grizzlies 123, Oklahoma City Thunder 137
BPI favorite: Thunder (85.4 percent)
What happened: The Thunder got 20 rebounds from Russell Westbrook in an easy win, ensuring that Westbrook fnishes the season with back-to-back triple-double averages for the season. A Jazz loss puts the Thunder at No. 4.
Russell Westbrook grabs his 16th rebound, locking up a triple-double average in back-to-back seasons, becoming the first player to ever average a triple-double more than once.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 12, 2018
Not a good thing for the Thunder: Corey Brewer was fouled on a corner 3, but came down awkwardly as Mario Chalmers fell underneath him. Brewer went down holding his right knee and needed help leaving the floor to the locker room. Brewer was of course signed after the Thunder lost their starting shooting guard Andre Roberson to a knee injury.
Utah Jazz 93, Portland Trail Blazers 102
BPI favorite: Blazers (58.1 percent)
What happened: Portland gets the No. 3 seed, and will host New Orleans. The Jazz are No. 5 and will travel to Oklahoma City for Game 1.
📍Rip City pic.twitter.com/N7BPwPDkak
— x - Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 11, 2018
With New Orleans and Oklahoma City winning, the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz know who they will play in the first round of the playoffs, but not their seeds. The Blazers will host New Orleans but can still affect a possible second-round matchup by securing the third seed instead of fourth with a loss. Meanwhile, the Jazz will play the Thunder, with home court in that series determined by whether Utah wins tonight in Portland. The Northwest Division title will also be on the line tonight.
Portland clamped down on Rookie of the Year contender Donovan Mitchell in the first quarter. The Jazz guard missed all six shot attempts and his team shot just 33.3 percent as the Blazers opened up a 28-21 lead with the third seed on the line.
2018 NBA quarterfinals matchups
Here's how the first round shapes up in each conference with the regular season in the books.
Western Conference
(1) Rockets vs. (8) Timberwolves
(2) Warriors vs. (7) Spurs
(3) Trail Blazers vs. (6) Pelicans
(4) Thunder vs. (5) Jazz
Eastern Conference
(1) Raptors vs. (8) Wizards
(2) Celtics vs. (7) Bucks
(3) 76ers vs. (6) Heat
(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Pacers
Tuesday's results
Philadelphia 76ers 121, Atlanta Hawks 113
BPI favorite: 76ers (69.9 percent)
What happened: The Sixers won their 15th consecutive game and inched closer to claiming the No. 3 seed, as a win against the Bucks on Wednesday would seal their position.
Washington Wizards 113, Boston Celtics 101
BPI favorite: Wizards (55.0 percent)
What happened: The Nos. 6-8 seeds are still a toss-up among Washington, Miami and Milwaukee ... and it's a little complicated. With the win, the Wizards temporarily prevented themselves from dropping to No. 8 and facing the Raptors in the first round.
Utah Jazz 119, Golden State Warriors 79
BPI favorite: Warriors (50.6 percent)
What happened: After embarrassing the Warriors with the largest loss in the Steve Kerr era, the Jazz will turn their attention to Wednesday's matchup with the Trail Blazers, which will determine the No. 3 seed.