The Los Angeles Lakers secured their place in the 2023 NBA Playoffs as the seventh seed in the Western Conference after a thrilling 108-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. LeBron James led the Lakers with 30 points, six assists and 10 rebounds, leading them to a much-needed win. Although the Timberwolves led 98-108 at the end of the fourth quarter, the game went to overtime, where the Lakers scored 10 points, while the Timberwolves managed to add just four.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72176943/1251755880.0.jpg)
On the same day, the Atlanta Hawks also secured their place in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks beat the Miami Heat 116-105, thanks to Trae Young’s impressive 25 points, seven assists and eight rebounds, along with notable contributions from his teammates. With this win, the Hawks will now face the Boston Celtics in the 2023 Playoffs.
The Miami Heat will await the winner of the 2023 NBA Play-In tournament between the ninth-ranked Toronto Raptors and the tenth-ranked Chicago Bulls. If the Heat prevail over the Raptors or Bulls, they will clinch eighth place and advance to the Playoffs. Notably, the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs is scheduled to start on April 15 or 16 (IST).
Meanwhile, the Raptors are scheduled to face the Bulls on Thursday, April 12, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. The game is scheduled to start at 4:30 IST, before the New Orleans Pelicans take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in a Play-In tournament match for the 9th and 10th ranked teams in the Western Conference. The winner of the Pelicans-Thunder game will face the Timberwolves for eighth place.