Trail Blazers skip Grizzlies for NBA playoffs berth

ANKARA

With Saturday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Portland Trail Blazers booked their place for the 2020 NBA Playoffs, set to start Monday.

The Trail Blazers beat the Grizzlies 126-122 in the Western Conference play-in held in the Orlando Bubble, where the remainder of the 2019-20 season is being played amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The victors of the night were the last franchise to advance to the knockout phase as the NBA playoffs will start on Monday.

Point guard Damian Lillard produced a "double-double" with 31 points and 10 assists to be the key player for Portland.

The Grizzlies' Ja Morant racked up 35 points and 8 assists.

In the playoff round, the Blazers, who were the no. 8 seed in the Western Conference standings, are set to meet the leaders of the West, the Los Angeles Lakers.

All the rounds in the Western and Eastern Conferences will be in the best of seven series format, meaning whoever bags four wins first will qualify for the next stage, the conference semifinals.

The first game in this year's playoffs will be Monday between Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets.

Western Conference matchups:

(1) Los Angeles Lakers - (8) Portland Trail Blazers

(2) Los Angeles Clippers - (7) Dallas Mavericks

(3) Denver Nuggets - (6) Utah Jazz

(4) Houston Rockets - (5) Oklahoma City Thunder

Eastern Conference matchups:

(1) Milwaukee Bucks - (8) Orlando Magic

(2) Toronto Raptors - (7) Brooklyn Nets

(3) Boston Celtics - (6) Philadelphia 76ers

(4) Indiana Pacers - (5) Miami Heat