Phoenix Suns fall just short of making playoffs play-in after finishing 8-0 in NBA bubble
The Phoenix Suns finished their seeding schedule perfect after blasting Dallas, 128-102, Thursday but won't be able to continue their magical run in the Orlando bubble.
With Memphis beating Milwaukee, 119-106, and Portland escaping with an 134-133 win over Brooklyn at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Phoenix will miss out on the play-in in the Western Conference despite going 8-0 in the seeding games.
The Suns (34-39) needed Memphis or Portland to lose and neither did.
The Bucks faced Memphis (34-39) without reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who served a one-game suspension after headbutting Mo Wagner in Tuesday's win over Washington.
The Nets gave Damian Lillard and the Blazers (35-39) all they could handle before falling at the end as Caris LeVert missed a last-second jumper. Lillard finished with 42 points as Portland will be the eighth-place team in the play-in tournament.
So Memphis will have to beat the Blazers twice to earn the eighth and final playoff spot.
The Suns posted their longest winning streak since the 2009-10 season when they won 10 a row to finish as the only team to go unbeaten in the bubble.
That was the last time Phoenix made the playoffs.
The Suns won't get a chance to break that decade drought. They have the same record as the Grizzlies, who went 2-6 in the bubble, but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker, 3-1.
Phoenix went out on a winning note as All-Star Devin Booker scored 27 points with 23 coming in the first half when first-time All-Star Luka Doncic saw action for the Mavericks, who sat Kristaps Porziņģis (heel).
Doncic scored 18 points, all in the first half in 13 minutes.