Kevin Durant (No.35) of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday (US time). Photo: CFP

Kevin Durant's dunk with 16.5 seconds to play lifted Oklahoma City to a 112-111 victory over Detroit on Wednesday (US time) on the final night of the NBA regular season.

With the victory, the Thunder secured the second seed in the Western Conference ­playoffs.

Durant scored 29 of his 42 points in the second half, including 21 in the fourth quarter, and sealed his fourth NBA scoring title in the last five years.

The Thunder will open the playoffs on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies, who ­defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-105 in overtime in a battle for the seventh seed in the West.

Oklahoma City's victory meant the Los Angeles Clippers were sure to be the West's third seed, even before they finished the season with a 110-104 loss at Portland.

The Clippers will face sixth-seeded Golden State in the first round, while fourth-­seeded Houston will face the No.5 Trail ­Blazers.

The eighth-seeded ­Mavericks will face the top-seeded San ­Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio, who had ­already clinched the top seed in the West, were among the teams who rested key players in their regular season finales, and were downed 113-100 by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Toronto Raptors wrapped up the third seed in the Eastern Conference, despite falling to the New York Knicks.

J.R. Smith scored 30 points to lead the Knicks - already eliminated from postseason contention - in a 95-92 triumph at Madison Square Garden.

The Raptors will take on the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.

All 16 playoff teams, eight in the East and eight in the West, had been decided before Wednesday's final regular-­season games, but some of the seedings to decide the first-round matchups were still at stake.

The Washington Wizards rolled to a 118-102 victory over the Boston Celtics to secure the No.5 seed in the East.

The Wizards won their last four games of the regular season for their best record in nine years (44-38) and will face the fourth-­seeded Bulls in Chicago on Sunday in their first playoff game in six years.

Eastern top-­seeded ­Indiana closed out the season with a 101-86 ­victory over Orlando and will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round in a rematch of last year's first-round series won by the Pacers.

Defending champions Miami, already assured of the ­second seed in the East, ­rested regular starters Le­Bron James, Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers in a 100-87 loss to Philadelphia. Dwyane Wade ­started and had 16 points for the Heat, who will take on Charlotte in the first round of the playoffs.

AFP - Global Times