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 The Pelicans nabbed the eighth seed in the powerful Western
Conference, edging Oklahoma City as both teams finished with
identical 45-37 records.
In the East, the Nets clinched the eighth and final spot, tipping
out the Indiana Pacers.
Oklahoma City won their season finale over the Minnesota
Timberwolves, but it counted for nothing as New Orleans beat the San
Antonio Spurs.
The Pelicans advanced courtesy of their 3-1 regular-season
head-to-head record over the Thunder.
The reward for New Orleans is a first-round match-up against the top
seed Golden State Warriors.
San Antonio, meanwhile, would have been seeded second in the West
had they beaten the Pelicans. Instead, the reigning NBA champions
plummeted to the sixth seed.
They will play the Los Angeles Clippers (third) in the first round
of the playoffs.
In other match-ups, the Houston Rockets (second) will play the
Dallas Mavericks (seventh) in an all-Texas showdown, while the
Portland Trail Blazers (fourth) will meet the Memphis Grizzlies
(fifth).
The Grizzlies, however, will have homecourt advantage over Portland
due to a better overall record.
The Nets beat the Orlando Magic on the final night of the regular
season on Wednesday, but still needed help to advance to the
post-season. They got it when the Indiana Pacers lost to Memphis.
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The Nets and Pacers both finished with 38-44 records but the Nets
advanced due to their better head-to-head record.
The Nets (seeded eighth) will play the Atlanta Hawks (first) in the
opening round of the playoffs.
In other match-ups, the Cleveland Cavaliers (second) will meet the
Boston Celtics (seventh), the Chicago Bulls (third) face the
Milwaukee Bucks (sixth) and the Toronto Raptors battle the
Washington Wizards (fifth).
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; editing by
Sudipto Ganguly)
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