Shropshire Star

Nuggets and Timberwolves to do battle for final play-off spot

Three other teams secured their place in the post-season on Monday night.

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The Denver Nuggets will meet the Minnesota Timberwolves in a winner-takes-all clash for the last NBA play-off spot.

Both teams won on Monday night and will now face each other at Minnesota’s Target Center on Wednesday in their final regular-season game, with eighth place in the Western Conference – and a post-season berth – the prize on offer to the victors.

The Timberwolves, who currently occupy that spot, beat the Memphis Grizzlies 113-94 with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jeff Teague both pouring in 24 points for the victors.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, kept their hopes alive with an 88-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers – Nikola Jokic getting a triple-double with 15 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists.

Three other teams secured their play-off spots on Monday.

Nikola Mirotic scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans sealed their berth with a 113-100 win over the LA Clippers.

Russell Westbrook had a triple-double (23 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists) as the Oklahoma City Thunder came back from 18 points down to beat the Miami Heat and secure a play-off place.

The Heat raced into an early 23-5 lead but standout performances from Paul George (27 points) and Westbrook helped the Thunder recover and claim a 115-93 victory.

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 98-85 to make the post-season, while there were also wins for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who downed the New York Knicks 123-109, and the Toronto Raptors, who defeated the Detroit Pistons 108-98.

Allen Crabbe celebrated his 26th birthday with a career-high 41 points as his Brooklyn Nets side beat the Chicago Bulls 114-105.

Crabbe made 12 out of 15 field goals and was eight for 11 on three-point attempts, while D’Angelo Russell added 21 points and 11 assists in the win.

Also, Eric Bledsoe had a triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists) as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 102-86.

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