LOS ANGELES (AFP) – LeBron James scored 30 points as the Los Angeles Lakers muscled their way into the NBA playoffs on Tuesday with a thrilling come-from-behind 108-102 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers clinched seventh seed and advanced to a Western Conference first-round playoff series against the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies starting on Sunday after a pulsating duel at the Crypto.com Arena.
The Timberwolves will have a second chance to reach the postseason when they face either New Orleans or Oklahoma City on Friday where the eighth seeding in the Western Conference will be up for grabs.
New Orleans and Oklahoma City face each other on Wednesday to determine who advances to that game.
– Hawks advance –
In Tuesday’s other play-in game, Trae Young scored 25 points as the Atlanta Hawks booked their place in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 116-105 win over the Miami Heat.
Atlanta’s bench combined to score 53 points to silence the Miami crowd and send the Hawks into a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
“This is what our sport is all about -– getting to April and having an opportunity to play in the postseason,” the 38-year-old James said after the win. “We’ve been battle-tested all year and since the All-Star break we’ve been playing some good basketball.”
A nerve-jangling fourth quarter saw the Lakers battle back from a 10-point deficit to move to the brink of victory after James engineered a three-pointer for German international Dennis Schroder to put Los Angeles 98-95 ahead with just 1.4 seconds remaining.
But as the home crowd prepared to celebrate, Anthony Davis was called for a rash foul on Mike Conley as the Timberwolves veteran attempted a desperate game-tying late three.
Conley’s effort missed but he duly stepped up to drain three free-throws under excruciating pressure to knot the game at 98-98 and force overtime.
Yet the Lakers regrouped to start overtime with a flurry of points, Rui Hachimura’s three-pointer and a Schroder layup putting Los Angeles five points clear at 103-98.
Miami will now face the winner of Wednesday’s game between Toronto and Chicago to determine the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Young led a superb all-round offensive team effort from Atlanta, who saw seven players finish in double figures.
Dejounte Murray posted 18 points, while Saddiq Bey added 17.
Atlanta took a stranglehold on the game after a dominant first-half display, outhustling a sluggish Miami line-up at both ends of the court to quickly open up a double-digit lead.
