By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — James Harden hit consecutive 3-pointers in overtime, a pair of free throws and scored on Jimmy Butler’s goaltending to finish with 39 points and 10 assists, Kawhi Leonard added 33 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers secured the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs by beating the Golden State Warriors 124-119 in the teams’ regular-season finale Sunday.
Leonard missed a free throw with 6.1 seconds left but made the next, and the Warriors had one last chance, but Buddy Hield missed a potential tying 3-point shot.
Stephen Curry scored 36 points and made a 3-pointer with 2:06 left in OT, but turned the ball over the next time down swarmed by two defenders. Butler had 30 points and nine assists. He and Curry now will have to lead seventh-seeded Golden State in a play-in game at home against Memphis on Tuesday night.
Ivica Zubac added 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Clippers, who have won eight straight and 18 of 21 heading into their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.
After Leonard traveled with 36.7 seconds left in overtime, Draymond Green missed a layup. Green defended Leonard’s missed last shot of regulation.
Los Angeles has won the last seven in the series, including all four meetings this season, and three in a row on Golden State’s home floor. But Leonard hadn’t played in the three previous matchups this season.
Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards had 18 of his 43 points in the third quarter to help the Minnesota Timberwolves pull away from the Utah Jazz for a 116-105 victory to secure a spot in the playoffs and stay out of the play-in games.
Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 18 rebounds and Donte DiVincenzo added 16 points for the Timberwolves (49-33), who have the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and will face the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
Edwards initially faced a suspension for this game for a technical foul on Friday that would’ve given him an NBA -high 18 this season, but the league rescinded that penalty after a review. Edwards went 7 for 18 from deep to finish with an NBA-leading 320 made 3-pointers.
Brice Sensabaugh scored 22 points for the Jazz (17-65), who finished with the worst record in the NBA and the worst mark in franchise history by six games.
In New Orleans, Rookie center Branden Carlson scored a season-high 26 points to go with 10 rebounds and three blocked three shots, and the Oklahoma City Thunder wrapped up the best regular season in franchise history with a 115-100 victory over the injury-depleted Pelicans.
Andrew Wiggins scored a game-high 28 points and Kenrich Williams had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder (68-14), who never trailed and led by as many as 23 points despite resting all of their usual starters.
Dalano Banton scored 23 points and the Portland Trail Blazers ended their season Sunday with a 109-81 victory over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Lakers, playing without Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
Rookie Dalton Knecht had 27 points for the Lakers (50-31), who had won the last six meetings with Portland.
Earlier, Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas each had a double-double, and Sacramento clinched homecourt advantage for the Kings first play-in game, beating the Phoenix Suns, 109-98.
Sabonis had 20 points and 12 rebounds for his 61st double-double of the season while Valanciunas had 22 points and 10 rebounds.
In Memphis, Lamar Stevens scored a career-high 31 points, Marvin Bagley III had 25 points and 11 rebounds and the Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 132-97, in the teams’ regular-season finale.
Both the Grizzles and Mavericks will play in the Western Conference play-in tournament. So, with both teams’ positions pretty well set — Memphis at No. 8 and Dallas at No. 10 — many of the starters sat out with soreness, injury recovery or rest.
