Spurs’ win has Thunder, Wolves, Nuggets in 3-way tie atop West

SAN ANTONIO — Things got a little crazy in the West on Friday night.

The Denver Nuggets’ 121-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs combined with wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves left the three-way tie atop the Western Conference on the final day of the NBA regular season.

The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves on Wednesday to move one game ahead of Minnesota and Oklahoma City. This makes the defending NBA champions the favorite to be the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

But everything changed when Spurs guard Devonte’ Graham blasted a 5-foot running ball past Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in the paint with 0.9 seconds left. The Spurs forced a five-second countdown on the ensuing inbounds play to seal the victory.

“It’s disappointing. I mean, really disappointing,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We controlled our own destiny and what we accomplished Wednesday night and we just gave it back, you know what I mean?”

The Nuggets will host the Grizzlies in Memphis on Sunday, the Thunder host the Dallas Mavericks and the Timberwolves host the Phoenix Suns.

The only way for Denver to regain the top seed is if both Oklahoma City and Minnesota lose on Sunday.

“It’s easy to get out of Minnesota,” Malone said. “I mean, our guys are focused, they’re focused, they’re serious. I don’t think we took the same approach tonight. You had a chance to get the No. 1 seed and now obviously we’re probably going to be the No. 3 Seed. At the end of the day, no matter what seed we are, we know what we’re capable of. We have one game left. Let’s try to get it done in Memphis and get ready for the first round.”

This marks the first time in NBA history that three teams have the same record through 81 games and have a chance to earn the top seed in their respective conferences.

Denver led the Spurs by as many as 23 points before the Spurs fought back. This is not only the Spurs’ biggest reversal this season, but also the Nuggets’ biggest collapse in the 2023-24 season. It also tied Denver’s second-largest lead in the past 25 seasons.

In Oklahoma City, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault learned of the Nuggets’ loss as he left the Paycom Center court following his team’s 125-107 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Thunder vice president of basketball communications Matt Thompson informed Dainio of the situation and issued a warning.

“He said, ‘This is all [the media] “I really had no reaction,” Daigneault deadpanned. “We had to cross the finish line.” “

Thunder rookie center Chet Holmgren insisted with a straight face that he was mentally preparing for Saturday’s practice rather than thinking about playoff standings.

“Everything else that happened was beyond our control,” Holmgren said. “We’re going to focus on the things we can control.”

Elsewhere in the West, few issues were resolved after Friday’s game. The only game that’s certain is the Los Angeles Clippers hosting the Mavericks at 4-5 — a series that becomes even more interesting as the winner can avoid the defending champions in the second round.

With New Orleans beating the Golden State Warriors 114-109 on the road, the Pelicans are in the driver’s seat to compete for the sixth seed and avoid the playoffs. Zion Williamson had 26 points and a career-high six steals to help New Orleans win its fourth straight game.

“Zion’s performance was unbelievable,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said. “It’s incredible. It never gets old.”

CJ McCollum continued his hot streak, shooting 8 of 13 three-pointers and scoring a team-high 28 points. McCollum has made 29 of 47 shots in the past three games, becoming the fifth player in NBA history to make as many three-pointers in four games.

The Pelicans host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday with a chance to reach 50 wins for just the second time in franchise history. A win gives the Pelicans the sixth seed.

New Orleans had a chance to clinch the sixth seed on Friday night, but the Suns came from behind to beat the Sacramento Kings 108-107 to keep their hopes of avoiding the play-in tournament alive.

Phoenix is ​​one game behind New Orleans in the standings but holds a spot in the tiebreaker. If the Suns win and the Pelicans lose, the Suns will be ranked sixth, and if the Pelicans win or both teams lose on Sunday, the Suns will be ranked seventh.

The Lakers found themselves facing a tough test on Friday against an injury-plagued Grizzlies team that held off until the final minute to pull off a 123-120 victory. LeBron James and Anthony Davis both played more than 40 minutes.

The Lakers can change their spot in the Western Conference playoffs by beating the Pelicans. When asked about his workload, James simply said: “I’ll be ready for Sunday.”

Lakers head coach Davon Hamm said the team must treat the end of the regular season like there’s no tomorrow.

“We all understand the stakes,” Hamm said. “We have to push it, we can’t worry about what will happen [next]. …Everyone knows what time it is. It’s that time of year, man. Whatever we need, however long we need to push players, it has to happen. They all understand this. “

The Lakers currently have a record of 46 wins and 35 losses, ranking eighth in the Western Conference, while the Kings and Warriors have a record of 45 wins and 36 losses. The Kings defeated the Warriors in the deciding game.

If the Lakers beat the Pelicans on Sunday, they will remain in eighth place and have two chances to make the playoffs via the play-in rounds.

Sacramento hosts the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Golden State Warriors host the Utah Jazz. The Kings and Warriors are tied in this season’s series, but since they are in the same conference, the next tiebreaker will be decided based on conference record, with the Kings having the advantage (10-7 to 7-9).

All of Sunday’s Western Conference games will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET.