There were several notable play-in tournament implications as a result of Thursday's slate of NBA games, which we'll go over today in the latest edition of The Morning Dunk.
Golden State Crushes Houston's Hope Of Play-In Entry
While not mathematically eliminated, any chance the Houston Rockets had of potentially participating in the play-in tournament in the Western Conference went up in smoke at the Toyota Center.
Led by the 29-point efforts from both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Golden State Warriors essentially locked up the 10th seed with a 133-110 victory over Houston.
Perhaps there was added incentive for the Warriors after seeing Rockets reserve Tari Eason wear a "Warriors, come out to play" shirt on the sidelines.
Tari Eason wore a "Warriors, come out to play" shirt to tonight's game 👀
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 5, 2024
Warriors won by 23 and are now 4 games ahead of Rockets in standings pic.twitter.com/7s2gUwCtOF
The only chance Houston now has of qualifying is to win at least five of its final six games while Golden State loses out or go a perfect 6-0 while the Warriors lose at least five.
Golden State entered as the three-point favorites and has now won 14 straight games against the Rockets dating back to March 2021.
Sixers Improve Odds Of Avoiding Play-In Vs. Heat
While the Rockets are trying to sneak into the play-in tournament, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to claw their way out, with their latest victory going a long way toward making that a reality.
Tyrese Maxey returned to the lineup for the first time since March 29 and contributed a game-high 37 points and 11 assists as Philadelphia held off the Miami Heat for a narrow 109-105 win at the Kaseya Center.
Joel Embiid added 29 points in just his second game back following surgery on his left meniscus.
Joel Embiid: “I was much better today, imagine what we can do.”
— Justin Lever ❤️⚾️ (@JustinLever3) April 5, 2024
Tyrese Maxey: “Yeah, Cmon now.”
THIS COULD BE VERY SPECIAL, PHILLY pic.twitter.com/1L6ZJjI7D8
The Sixers are still slotted into the eighth seed, but the win moved the team to within half a game of the seventh-seeded Heat and one game of the Indiana Pacers and the No. 6 seed. Philadelphia has just one game remaining on its schedule against a team currently with a winning record.
Kawhi-less Clippers Upset Reigning Champions
Statements aren't made in early April, but the Los Angeles Clippers should still feel good about how Thursday's matchup with the Denver Nuggets unfolded as the season draws to a conclusion.
Paul George and James Harden combined for 48 points as the Clippers overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Nuggets 102-100 at Crypto.com Arena.
Paul George (28 PTS) poured in buckets in the Clippers' home win over the Nuggets! 💪 pic.twitter.com/R4YOQLAGzu
— NBA (@NBA) April 5, 2024
Los Angeles was the three-point underdogs and covered for just the second time in its last eight games. Even in victory, the team is tightly locked into the fourth seed being four games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and two ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.
