The Los Angeles Lakers have clinched the conference title for the first time since Kobe Bryant led them to the Championship in 2010.
The Lakers got their noses in front of the Utah Jazz in the third quarter and extended their lead down the stretch with Anthony Davis scoring 42 points while LeBron James had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the 116-108 win.
LA have missed the post-season in the last six campaigns and last topped the Western Conference in 2009-10 when they saw off the Boston Celtics to take the NBA Finals.
The road to No.1 seed wasn't an easy one. We're not done yet. #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/KtGhydJ9Fk — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 4, 2020
Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors are hitting a purple patch at the right time as they saw off the Miami Heat 107-103 for their sixth straight win.
Fred VanVleet proved pivotal to Toronto's success with a career-high 36 points, while Pascal Siakam hit 22 and Kyle Lowry 14 as the side followed up their upset win over the Lakers with another victory.
Toronto are unlikely to topple the Milwaukee Bucks for the top seed in the Eastern Conference but have the best form in the NBA ahead of the playoffs starting on August 17.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) August 4, 2020
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers held off a late run from the San Antonio Spurs to record a 132-130 win, with Shake Milton hitting a go-ahead three-pointer with 7.2 seconds left on the clock.
The Denver Nuggets needed overtime to see off the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-113, the Washington Wizards were downed by the Indiana Pacers 111-100 and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Memphis Grizzles 109-99.
