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Four NBA games were scheduled for tonight, all featuring teams who have a respectable chance of making it to the second round of the playoffs at the very least. Specific NBA results today confirmed seven first-round playoff matchups and now we know who every team in the East will be facing in the first round of the postseason.
The Miami Heat had the chance of locking in the fourth seed against the OKC Thunder with the Indiana Pacers also in action on the night. A shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers also could've put the pressure on the two seeds above them with a win against the Toronto Raptors. The final NBA game of the night was between the LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets.
Let's now jump into the NBA results from today, August 11.
#1 Indiana Pacers confirm NBA Playoffs pairing with win over Houston Rockets
NBA bubble breakout star T.J. Warren was sidelined tonight but this didn't prevent the Indiana Pacers from taking the win against the Houston Rockets. Pacers head coach Nate McMillan had signed a contract extension earlier today and this victory did well to mark the occasion.
The Houston Rockets were without Russell Westbrook who could miss a few games with a quadriceps injury. However, they also welcomed back Eric Gordon who had rolled his ankle in Houston's last NBA scrimmage. He had a decent 13-point outing.
James Harden stuffed the stat sheet with 45 points but a collective showing from the Pacers nullified the efforts of the NBA MVP finalist. Five of their players scored at least 16 points to seal the deal in a close affair.
Myles Turner was the pick of the players for Coach McMillan's side as he chimed in with a double-double. Edmond Sumner also had a nice 17 points off the bench. The Indiana Pacers cannot finish below the fifth seed in the East and will be facing the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Final Score: Pacers 108-104 Rockets (Turner 18 points, 12 rebounds; Harden 45 points, 9 assists, 17 rebounds)
Also read: Can the Phoenix Suns make the NBA Playoffs? - Western Conference qualification scenario
#2 Philadelphia 76ers falter to the Toronto Raptors in the clutch
The Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers both gave their bench players extended minutes as the former came out on top. Brett Brown's men got off to a quick start and led by as many as 16 points in the first quarter. The Sixers were the pacesetters for the majority of the game but dried up in the last few minutes of the tie and ended up conceding the loss.
Joel Embiid only played 13 minutes but it wasn't a surprise as he was marking a return from injury. Tobias Harris led the scoring for Philly with 22 points but Furkan Korkmaz had 21 of his own too off the bench. The Sixers have missed Ben Simmons severely and that is likely to be the case in the NBA Playoffs as well where they'll face Boston Celtics in the first round.
Kyle Lowry had a good shooting night as he accounted for 19 points. Chris Boucher built on his career-night against the Milwaukee Bucks with a solid 19 points in this game.
Final Score: Raptors 125-121 76ers (Harris 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists; Boucher 19 points, 9 rebounds)
#3 OKC Thunder record another huge comeback win against the Miami Heat
The OKC Thunder have racked up comeback win after another throughout this NBA season and tonight was no different against the Miami Heat. The icing on the cake though was that they did it this time with bench players.
The Miami Heat established their authority early on and it remained that way for almost the entire length of the match. Midway through the third quarter, both OKC and Miami had rested their starters and the rotation guys came to the fore.
The Heat led 104-82 with 10 minutes left in the tie but that's when Andre Roberson scored a three-pointer and kick-started a Thunder run. Downtown was the place to be for Billy Donovan's men who dropped eight treys to take the lead with five seconds on the game clock and held on for the win.
Tyler Herro led the charge for Erik Spoelstra's side with 30 points. Meanwhile, Darius Bazley recorded his third straight 20-point outing in the NBA bubble. OKC moved up to the fourth seed with this win and have confirmed their match-up with the Houston Rockets for the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Final Score: Heat 115-116 Thunder (Herro 30 points, 6 rebounds; Bazley 21 points, 9 rebounds)
#4 LA Clippers lock up the second seed with win over Denver Nuggets
The LA Clippers confirmed two pairings for the first round of the NBA Playoffs with a win over the Denver Nuggets. Clippers will face the Dallas Mavericks and Denver will come up against the Utah Jazz.
While Mike Malone decided to give the youngsters an extended run for this tie, both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George played over 30 mins for the Clippers. It was a competitive back-and-forth affair but once Doc Rivers' side took the lead in the final quarter, they didn't look back to record another positive NBA result.
Paul George led both teams in scoring with 27 points but also managed to effect 3 steals. Ivica Zubac had a quick double-double in just 21 minutes of playing time. Jerami Grant scored 25 points off the bench while Nikola Jokic matched his season-high tally of 13 assists on the night.
Final Score: Clippers 124-111 Nuggets (Leonard 26 points, 5 rebounds; Jokic 17 points, 13 assists)
Also read: New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic Prediction & Match Preview - August 13th, 2020
Guess the Lakers players!
