Nuggets Pass Lakers For No. 3 Seed

Denver stormed back against Portland on Monday, scoring 38 in the fourth quarter and winning overtime 12-7 to grab the West’s No. 3 seed from the Lakers. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are 51-28, ahead of the 50-28 Lakers and 49-29 Rockets. Los Angeles is without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and Houston can tie them if it beats Phoenix while the Lakers lose to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. In the East, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Orlando are all 43-36 with three games left, only a half-game behind Toronto for sixth. The Sixers lost to San Antonio, while Orlando beat Detroit. Denver looks lined up for Minnesota in Round 1, while the Lakers could slide into a tough matchup with Houston.