SUMMARY
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The Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies kept their NBA playoff hopes alive with victories on Thursday, August 13 (Friday, August 14, Philippine time) that spelled the end of the San Antonio Spurs’ remarkable run of 22 straight postseason appearances.
The Grizzlies clinched a spot in this weekend’s play-in series for the 8th and final Western Conference playoff berth with a 119-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Suns completed a perfect 8-0 performance in the NBA’s restart quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida, with a 128-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
But Phoenix had to await the outcome of Portland’s clash with Brooklyn later Thursday, with the Trail Blazers able to eliminate the Suns with a victory.
The wins for Phoenix and Memphis combined to extinguish the hopes of San Antonio shortly before the Spurs took the court against the Utah Jazz, who won 118-112.
The last time the Spurs failed to make the playoffs was 1997, and coach Gregg Popovich then presided over a 22-season run of postseason appearances that yielded 5 championships and a 170-114 playoff record.
Against Eastern Conference leaders Milwaukee, the Grizzlies took full advantage of the absence of suspended Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Lithuanian Jarunas Valanciunas and Rookie of the Year candidate Ja Morant both posted triple-doubles, Valanciunas scoring 26 points with 19 rebounds and 12 assists and Morant putting up 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Dillon Brooks added 31 points for the Grizzlies, who will claim the 8th seed if Portland lose to Brooklyn but will be 9th if the Blazers win.
The eighth-seeded team in the play-in series will need just one win to advance to the postseason, while the lower-seeded team must win two.
The Suns, meanwhile, could be facing the ultimate in frustration – the only perfect record in the restart and still no spot in the playoffs.
Devin Booker did what he could, scoring 23 of his 27 points in the first half, when Phoenix connected on 65.9% of their shots on the way to a 76-57 halftime lead.
The Suns led by as many as 28 points against a playoff-bound Mavs team that gave star Luka Doncic limited minutes and had Kristaps Porzingis sidelined with a foot injury. – Rappler.com
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