Since both the Phoenix Suns (128: 102 against the Dallas Mavericks) and the Memphis Grizzlies (119: 106 against the Milwaukee Bucks) won on Friday night, the Viennese club could no longer make the knockout phase to reach.
Austria’s NBA pioneer was in his 301st NBA match (22 of them in the play-off) again in the starting line-up of the Texans and posted ten points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal (win the ball) and two blocks in 21:08 minutes. It will be interesting to see if it was the last match of the 24-year-old for Spurs, in which rookie Keldon Johnson was the top scorer with 24 points for the second time in a row.
Last game for Spurs?
Because Pöltl’s contract in San Antonio expires at the end of the season. However, the Spurs will be able to catch up with any offer from any other NBA club in the fall, because the 2.13 meter center is only a restricted free agent.
“Have performed well”
“We end the Seeding Games with a loss to Utah Jazz in an already meaningless game. Although we missed the play-in, we performed well overall in Florida and won five out of eight games, ”Pöltl summed up on Facebook.
Under successful coach Gregg Popovich, San Antonio had always reached the postseason from 1998 to 2019 and thus set the record of the Philadelphia 76ers (until 1963 Syracuse Nationals), who were also en suite in the play-offs 22 times from 1950 to 1971 . All five previous Spurs title wins (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014) were also celebrated in the Popovich era. Pöltl, who started his NBA career in 2016 with the Toronto Raptors, played the most recent two seasons for the Texans, who finished eleventh in the Western Conference.
Play-in duel for the last ticket
For the last place in the postseason there is a play-in duel between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Phoenix Suns, who were the only team to win their eighth and last seeding game in the “NBA Bubble” in Florida with a clear 128:10 success over the Dallas Mavericks, are just spectators like the Spurs in the postseason. They had exactly the same record as the ninth-placed Grizzlies, but the direct duels tipped the balance in favor of the competitor from Memphis, who celebrated a 119-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks (without the suspended “MVP” Giannis Antetokounmpo).
Portland, led by top star Damian Lillard (42 points and 12 assists), successfully defended eighth place in the west with a wafer-thin 134: 133 against the Brooklyn Nets. This means that the Blazers only need one win against Memphis at the weekend to reach the play-off. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, would have to win on Saturday (from 8.30 p.m. / live DAZN) and on Sunday (10.30 p.m. CET / live DAZN, if necessary) in order to make it into the postseason.
National Basketball Association
Tables basic round
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