DENVER — The Denver Nuggets will host the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs after securing the No. 4 seed in the conference with a win Sunday in Houston.
Denver cruised to a 126-111 win over the Houston Rockets, who had long been locked into the No. 2 seed in the West. Six Nuggets scored in double figures – including five scoring between 16-19 points – and all five starters grabbed exactly 7 rebounds in a balanced win on the road.
The Nuggets were up by 13 at halftime and used a 10-2 run, with five points from Gordon to make it 86-63 with about five minutes left in the third quarter. The Rockets pulled their starters after that big run.
Denver moves to 3-0 since it fired Michael Malone as head coach and Calvin Booth as general manager with just days remaining in the season.
The Clippers secured the No. 5 seed with a road win of their own Sunday, holding off the Golden State Warriors in overtime in San Francisco.
This all comes as the dust settles from a chaotic end to the season in a tight Western Conference. The Nos. 4-10 seeds in the conference were undecided entering Sunday’s regular season finale.
With Sunday’s results, the Minnesota Timberwolves earn the No. 6 seed and a date with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The Warriors drew a berth in the play-in tournament.
The Nuggets and Clippers split four games during the regular season. Denver won the last two matchups – on Dec. 13 and Jan. 8 – by a combined 45 points, 120-98 and 126-103, respectively.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
