Kobe Bryant racked up 50 points for the 10th time this season as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Seattle Supersonics 109-98 to secure a berth in the playoffs.

The Lakers will finish seventh or eighth in the Western Conference and meet either Dallas or Phoenix in the first round.

Bryant led the charge against Seattle, scoring eight points in the last term to seal the Lakers' third victory in their past 11 games.

Lamar Odom (14 points) and Maurice Evans (10) gave Bryant solid support, while Rashard Lewis (24), Chris Wilcox (20) and Mike Wilks (22) played well for Seattle.

Dallas picked up its 66th win for the season in beating the San Antonio Spurs 91-86.

Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris each scored 21 points for the Mavericks, who ended the Spurs' six-game winning streak.

The Toronto Raptors secured their place as third seed in the Eastern Conference after edging past the New York Knicks 107-105.

The victory earns the Raptors home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs, the first time in five years they have made the post-season action.

Chris Bosh top-scored for Toronto with 23 points

Chicago is just one win shy of the 50-win mark for the season after thrashing an injury-hit Washington 101-68.

Ben Gordon scored 30 points for the Bulls, who - should they defeat New Jersey in the final game of the regular season - will rack up 50 wins for the first time since 1997/98.

The Wizards were without All-Star players Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler.

The New Jersey Nets kept their hopes of a sixth-seed finish in the Eastern Conference alive after easing past the Indiana Pacers 111-107.

Bostjan Nachbar nailed all six shots from the three-point range on his way to 25 points, while Vince Carter scored 35 points.

In other games, the Orlando Magic clinched a finals berth with a 88-86 victory against the Boston Celtics, while the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors scored a comfortable 121-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Philadelphia 76ers downed the Detroit Pistons 102-91.