What the Mavericks figured was inevitable now is official.
They will play the powerful Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
The Clippers downed Denver late Wednesday night to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Mavericks had been locked into the No. 7 seed after losing to Portland on Tuesday.
It is not certain whether the best-of-seven series will start on Monday or Tuesday. But since the No. 1-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will have to wait to see who wins the play-in tournament, it has been speculated that the Mavericks-Clippers series would begin on Monday.