On Thursday the Phoenix Suns completed their perfect NBA bubble season, reaching a 128-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
But it’s the Memphis Grizzlies who can breathe a sigh of relief, winning the No. 9 in the West that keeps their playoff hopes alive. While the Suns played with the Mavericks on the NBA’s Disney World campus, the Grizzlies took a 119-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks who were playing no-wagering and no Giannis Antetokounmpo suspended.
Memphis earns a spot in the play-in series
With the win, Memphis nabbed a spot in this weekend’s play-in series for the No. 8 in the Western Conference playoffs. They will face the Suns or the Portland Trail Blazers depending on Portland’s result on Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets.
Blazer in control
If Portland wins, it wins the No. 8 and take out Phoenix. If Portland loses, he will be eliminated. In this scenario, Memphis will earn the No. 8 and will face the seed n. 9 Suns.
The 8th seed will clinch a playoff spot with a win in the playoff series. The 9th seed will have to win consecutive games to make the postseason.
With Thursday’s wins of the Suns and Grizzlies, the San Antonio Spurs were knocked out of the playoffs moments before the season finale against the Utah Jazz.
Great run by Suns
On Thursday concludes a stunning run for the Suns, who had less than a 1% chance of making it into the playoffs after arriving at the NBA campus as the No. 13 seeded in the West with a 26-39 record. Guided by the continued emergence of All-Star Devin Booker, the Suns finish the series portion of the bubble game with an 8-0 record. Booker led the Suns again against Dallas, finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
The Grizzlies had the internal track in seed no. 8 they had when the bubble game started. Limping in part from the loss of injured striker Jaren Jackson Jr., they limped to a 2-6. But thanks to their top record before the bubble, they’re still alive for the playoffs. Alleged Rookie of the Year Ja Morant finished his second career triple double against the Bucks with 12 points, 10 assists and 13 rebounds.
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