In a final of heart attack, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Brooklyn Nets by 134 to 133 and will play on Saturday a repechage tie against the Memphis Grizzlies to define the last playoff berth in the Western Conference of the NBA.
Damian Lillard, with 42 points and 12 assists, again led the Blazers to a crucial victory that guard Caris LeVert – the Nets’ star with 37 points – nearly avoided with a last-second shot that ended up missing. .
The triumph of the Trail Blazers, who thus maintain eighth place in the West at the end of the regular season, meant the elimination of the surprising Phoenix Suns despite their victory on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks, with which they added a full eight wins in Disney World (Orlando).
Eighth place gives Portland a significant lead over the Grizzlies (9th) in the play-in tie (called the “play in”) as it only needs to win Saturday’s game to advance to the playoffs and face Los Angeles in the first round. Angeles Lakers.
The Grizzlies, on the other hand, need to win two consecutive games against the Trail Blazers, the one on Saturday and, if necessary, another on Sunday.
The Suns, led by Devin Booker and Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, have astonished the NBA by being the only ones capable of winning their eight games at Disney World but ultimately finished in 10th place in the West, 1 win behind the Trail Blazers and tied. with the Grizzlies but losing in the tiebreaker.
On Thursday’s decisive day, the San Antonio Spurs (11th) also dreamed of making the playoffs but finished out of the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
Damian Lillard ensured the Trail Blazers’ presence in the play-off with his third showing since Sunday, when he added 51 points against the Philadelphia Union, and then followed Tuesday with 61 points against the Dallas Mavericks.
In a high-tension game, in which the Nets had a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Lillard supported his team with a tremendous shooting accuracy (59%) and 8 3-pointers, some of them from nearly half the field, plus a decisive ball steal from LeVert in the last minute.
The All-Star point guard, who averages 37 points and 9.3 assists at Disney World, has honored his promise that he did not travel to Orlando “to waste time” and has been the key to his team achieving six wins in eight games. .
“It feels good to get to play in knowing that we had to work to win these eight games, knowing that we deserved it,” said Lillard, visibly excited as he saw the game come to an end after LeVert’s missed shot.
Guard CJ McCollum added 25 points and Jusuf Nurkic another 22 to the Trail Blazers’ triumph, while LeVert led the resistance of the Nets, who were not at stake, with 37 points and 9 assists.
With the Grizzlies’ 119-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the afternoon without the suspended Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Suns were hopeful that a Nets victory would allow them to continue their amazing stint at Disney World.
Phoenix had done its part, beating the Mavericks 128-102 and remaining undefeated in Orlando, where they landed in July 12th with no one counting them for the playoff fight.
Booker, who leaves with an average of 30.5 points per game, was again the leader with 27 points while Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio signed 7 points and 12 assists.
“I’m very proud of this group no matter what happens,” Booker said after the game.
The Spurs, on his side, were another team that stood out at Disney World, adding five wins and three losses, but the victories of Memphis and Phoenix left them mathematically without playoff options before their commitment to the Utah Jazz.
Already eliminated, the Spurs left their figures on the bench and fell 118-112 to the Jazz.
Gregg Popovich’s team ended a historic streak of 22 straight seasons by qualifying for the playoffs.
At the end of the 1996/97 season, San Antonio selected Tim Duncan as number one in the draft and built a legendary team that won five championships.
“I couldn’t care less about (ending the streak),” Popovich said. “It’s not important. The important thing is the moment, do what you have to do and move on. Looking back is not very good.
Games of the day on Thursday in the NBA:
Boston Celtics – Washington Wizards 90-96
Los Angeles Lakers – Sacramento Kings 122-136
Memphis Grizzlies – Milwaukee Bucks 119-106
Phoenix Suns – Dallas Mavericks 128-102
Utah Jazz – San Antonio Spurs 118-112
Brooklyn Nets – Portland Trail Blazers 133-134
New Orleans Pelicans – Orlando Magic 127-133
gbv/cl
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