Trail Blazers Clinch Playoff Spot with Russell Westbrook's Nuggets Buzzer-Beater
The Oklahoma City Thunder weren't the only team to benefit from Russell Westbrook's game-winning shot to beat the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
Oklahoma City's 106-105 win clinched the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference for the Portland Trail Blazers, who were idle Sunday. The Blazers are 40-40 and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the 38-42 Nuggets with two games remaining.
Westbrook, who recorded his NBA-record 42nd triple-double of the season, hit a three from 36 feet out as time expired in the Thunder win. He finished with 50 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, setting an NBA record with his third 50-point triple-double.
The Blazers and their players were understandably thankful for Westbrook's effort:
Portland has made the playoffs in four straight seasons and seven of the last nine. Four of those prior appearances ended in first-round exits, and the Blazers will in all likelihood make it five.
The top-seeded Golden State Warriors await in the first round and are an incredibly bad matchup for a below-average Portland defense. Having already taken a slight step back from their surprising 44-38 record a year ago, the Blazers are likely going to fail in their effort to match last year's second-round appearance.
That said, history tells us not to entirely count out No. 8 seeds. Golden State knows better than any team that anything is possible.
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