NBA roundup: Clippers lock up No. 2
seed with win
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 [August 13, 2020]
Paul George scored 27 points and
Kawhi Leonard added 26, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the
Denver Nuggets 124-111 on Wednesday night near Orlando.
Lou Williams had 23 points and seven assists off the bench for the
Clippers, who clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
They will meet the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA
playoffs, starting next week.
The Nuggets will be the conference's No. 3 seed.
Ivica Zubac had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds
for the Clippers.
Reserve forward Jerami Grant scored 25 points and pulled down six
rebounds for Denver. Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points, 13
assists and seven rebounds while Michael Porter Jr. chipped in 11
points. Jamal Murray was held to 10 points, and Torrey Craig also
had 10.
Indiana Pacers 108 - Houston Rockets 104
Doug McDermott scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and
Indiana held off a late rampage by James Harden -- and an injury to
T.J. Warren -- to beat Houston.
By virtue of a win in its second-to-last regular-season game,
Indiana clinched at least the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference
and a first-round playoff matchup with the fourth-seeded Miami Heat.
The Pacers rested Warren, whom Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said
is dealing with plantar fasciitis. According to reports, the injury
isn't expected to keep Warren from playing in the postseason.
Toronto Raptors 125 - Philadelphia 76ers 121
The 76ers welcomed back Joel Embiid for a first-half cameo, then
blew a late seven-point lead and watched as the Raptor's Stanley
Johnson hit a tie-breaking follow shot with 5.9 seconds remaining to
clinch a four-point victory.
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Clippers guard Paul George (13) drives to the basket against Denver
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) in the second quarter of a
NBA basketball game at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim
Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Embiid, who injured his left ankle Sunday against Portland and sat
out Tuesday's game with Phoenix, played 14 first-half minutes and
had five points and nine rebounds. Tobias Harris had a game-high 22
points and Furkan Korkmaz 21 for Philadelphia, which is locked into
sixth place in the East and a first-round playoff matchup with
Boston.
Chris Boucher and Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 19 apiece. Norman
Powell added 17 points and Pascal Siakam had 15 for Toronto, which
has clinched second place in the East.
Miami Heat 116 - Oklahoma City Thunder 115
Darius Bazley scored 16 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and
Mike Muscala hit two 3-pointers in the final minute to lift Oklahoma
City to a come-from-behind win over Miami that featured reserve
players in the second half.
The Thunder trailed by as many as 22 points in the fourth period but
outscored the Heat 34-15 in the quarter. The first tied it with 34.8
seconds to play. After Miami regained the lead on a Solomon Hill
layup, Muscala hit another 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds remaining.
An attempted 3-pointer by Tyler Herro (career-high 30 points) hit
off the front of the rim at the buzzer to seal Oklahoma City's win.
--Field Level Media
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