Suns go undefeated in bubble, snap Spurs' 22-year postseason streak
The Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 128-102 on Thursday to finish their seeding games with a perfect 8-0 record and lift their regular-season mark to 34-39.
Devin Booker led the way for the Suns, scoring a game-high 27 points on 11-of-22 shooting with seven rebounds, five assists, and zero turnovers in 32 minutes.
Despite their brilliance inside the bubble, the Suns failed to qualify for this weekend's play-in tournament as the Portland Trail Blazers held on to defeat the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
Phoenix's victory coupled with the Grizzlies' 119-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks earlier Thursday means the San Antonio Spurs are officially eliminated from playoff contention, which ends their NBA record-tying streak of 22 straight postseason appearances.
The last time San Antonio and longtime head coach Gregg Popovich failed to qualify for the postseason was during the 1996-97 season, just prior to Tim Duncan's arrival as the top pick in the 1997 draft.