The Portland Trail Blazers clinched a playoff spot with a comeback victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, while the Charlotte Hornets advanced in the NBA’s play-in tournament with a thrilling overtime win over the Miami Heat.
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The winner of the clash between the seventh-ranked Suns and eighth-ranked Trail Blazers secured a guaranteed playoff spot as the No 7 seed in the Western Conference.
The defeated Suns will now play either the ninth-ranked Los Angeles Clippers or 10th-ranked Golden State Warriors for a final chance to secure the No 8 seed.
In the Eastern Conference, the ninth-ranked Hornets will next play the loser from the Philadelphia 76ers’ meeting with the Orlando Magic in the seventh versus eighth matchup in the play-in tournament.
Trail Blazers battle back to beat Suns and book playoff spot
Deni Avdija scored 41 points – including a go-ahead three-pointer with 16.1 seconds left – as the Trail Blazers rallied from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Suns 114-110.
Jordan Goodwin drove for a layup to give the Suns a 110-109 lead with 32 seconds left, but Avdija, who also had 12 assists, responded with a physical take to the rim, making a layup while also getting fouled – and making the free throw – for a 112-110 lead.
The Suns had a chance to go back ahead but Jalen Green’s three-pointer was off the mark. Goodwin grabbed the offensive rebound but was stripped by Matisse Thybulle to seal the win for the Blazers.
Portland earn the No 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs as a result and they will face No 2 seed the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
The Blazers had led 83-82 going into the fourth quarter despite shooting just 1 of 11 three-pointers in the third.
Phoenix pushed to its first lead of the second half when Green made a jumper on the opening possession of the fourth. It was the start of an 11-0 run that gave the Suns a 93-83 advantage.
Royce O’Neale’s steal and three-pointer put Phoenix ahead 98-87 lead with 7:13 remaining, but that’s when the Blazers started their comeback.
Ball sees Hornets advance in thrilling overtime win over Heat
The Hornets beat the Heat 127-126 in overtime to advance in the NBA play-in tournament as LaMelo Ball scored the winning layup with 4.7 seconds remaining.
LaMelo Ball (R) celebrates as the Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat in overtime
Miami lost Bam Adebayo to injury early in the game but led before Charlotte rallied in the third quarter, Coby White leading the comeback with a series of three-pointers.
The Heat responded in the fourth, with Andrew Wiggins hitting back-to-back threes to see Miami into the lead, before White tied the game late to force overtime.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra complained that Ball should have been ejected for tripping Adebayo, leading to a lower back injury that knocked the Heat’s star out of the game.
Ball fell to the floor after missing a shot on a drive to the basket early in the second quarter, and he appeared to reach out with his left arm and grab Adebayo’s left leg, causing the big man to fall.
Ball was not called for a foul, and Adebayo remained on the floor as play continued. He eventually got up and walked to the locker room under his own power but did not return.
Ball, who scored 30 points and made the go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, apologised for his role in Adebayo’s injury but said he was disoriented because he had been hit in the head on the drive.
Miles Bridges would seal the win for the Hornets with a block at the buzzer, eliminating the Heat from the playoffs.
Western Conference first-round playoffs:
*First teams denotes home court advantage
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs 8th seed (TBC)
San Antonio Spurs (2) vs Portland Trail Blazers (7)
Denver Nuggets (3) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs Houston Rockets (5)
Play-in tournament:
1. Phoenix Suns (7) 110-114 Portland Trail Blazers (8)
2. Los Angeles Clippers (9) vs Golden State Warriors (10)
3. Phoenix Suns vs Winner Game 2
Eastern Conference first-round playoffs:
Detroit Pistons (1) vs 8th seed (TBC)
Boston Celtics (2) vs 7th seed (TBC)
New York Knicks (3) vs Atlanta Hawks (6)
Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs Toronto Raptors (5)
Play-in tournament:
1. Philadelphia 76ers (7) vs Orlando Magic (8)
2. Charlotte Hornets (9) 127-126 Miami Heat (10)
3. Loser Game 1 vs Charlotte Hornets
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