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The Portland Trail Blazers are on the cusp of punching their ticket to the 2018 NBA Playoffs. With a win versus the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, Portland clinches a playoff berth. But, a loss by either the Denver Nuggets or Minnesota Timberwolves also pushes Portland into the NBA playoffs:
From NBA PR: the Blazers clinch a playoff spot with a win or a loss by either the Nuggets or Timberwolves.
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) April 1, 2018
Schedule of Possible Playoff-Clinching Games
Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves, 4 p.m. PT
Milwaukee Bucks at Denver Nuggets, 5 p.m. PT
Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers, 6 p.m. PT
The Details
-If Minnesota or Denver loses, Portland automatically clinches a spot in the NBA playoffs.
-If Minnesota and Denver win, Portland can clinch a spot in the NBA playoffs with a win against Memphis.
-If neither of those scenarios happen, the Blazers have to wait another day to clinch a playoff spot.
Other Games to Keep Tabs on
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs, tipped off at 12:30 p.m. PT
Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans, 3 p.m. PT
Neither of these games affects Portland clinching a playoff spot, but the Spurs (44-32, No. 4 seed), Thunder (44-33, tied for No. 5 seed with T’Wolves) and Pelicans (43-33, tied for No. 7 with Jazz) all trail the Blazers (47-29) for the No. 3 seed.