NBA scores: Mavericks clinch playoff spot; NBA standings after seeding games

Dallas Mavericks had a reason to celebrate on Sunday, despite their disappointing defeat to the Phoenix Suns. The defeat against the Suns meant that Mavericks had lost both their games in the NBA bubble. However, despite consecutive defeats, the Mavericks sealed a playoffs berth for the first time since 2016. Here's a look at the NBA scores and the NBA standings after the Mavericks vs Suns clash. 

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NBA scores: Mavericks vs Suns result, highlights 

Dallas Mavericks sabotaged their chance to win their first game post-restart with an icy shooting spell in the second half condemning them to 117-115 defeat.  The Mavericks vs Suns result saw the former drop to 0-2 since the league began the eight seeding games at the Walt Disney World campus. However, San Antonio Spurs' win over the Memphis Grizzlies meant that Dallas qualified for the playoffs and will be no worse than the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. The Mavericks were yearly playoff participants during Dirk Nowitzki’s two-decade-plus run but saw a dry patch post-2016. The Mavericks playoffs berth will be well received by their fans, and they could still rise further up the NBA standings in the Western Conference. 

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Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis were major reasons why the Mavericks were ahead 81-70 early in the third quarter against the Suns with the former being able to force Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker to commit their fifth personal fouls. Subsequently, Phoenix went on a 26-11 blitz to finish the quarter and take a 96-92 lead going into the fourth. The Mavericks bottled their chances of registering a win, missing their first 14 3-pointers in the second half, which led to a deficit that reached 109-100 before the Mavericks made a late surge. However, their three-point inaccuracy came back to haunt them, and despite 40 Luka Doncic points, the Mavericks fell to a defeat. 

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NBA scores: NBA standings

NBA scores: Grizzlies vs Spurs

DeMar DeRozan starred for the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, helping his team to a hard-fought 108-106 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. In a game that ensured Mavericks' playoffs dreams, Spurs built an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter but needed DeRozan's big plays as the Grizzlies rallied. DeRozan brought the ball down the court after Jaren Jackson Jr had tied the game for Memphis with a corner 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds to play. The Spurs star then pump-faked Dillon Brooks into the air and drew the foul, then knocked down the foul shots. Jackson the missed a long 3 on the final possession. The result moved them into ninth place in the Western Conference NBA standings.

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NBA scores: Celtics vs Trailblazers

A resurgent Portland Trail Blazers gave Boston Celtics a run for their money, before falling to a 129-124 defeat on Sunday. The Celtics were on course to register their first win of the NBA restart and led the game by 24 points at one stage before the Trail Blazers made a scintillating comeback to make it an exciting finish. The hot shooting and depth of Celtics was the difference in this game, and with the loss, Portland are now tied for the ninth spot in the West with the San Antonio Spurs, who registered a win over the Grizzlies on Sunday. 

NBA scores: Rockets vs Bucks

James Harden and Russell Westbrook were the usual suspects for the Houston Rockets as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a thriller on Sunday. Rockets' switching defence deflected passes left and right, stripping unsuspecting ball-handlers at a rate only possible without a centre on the floor, and drying the Bucks of the opportunity to generate open 3-pointers for their role players. While the Bucks' frontcourt trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton scored 86 points and grabbed 42 rebounds, nobody else could give the Bucks much of anything as they fell to a 119-116 defeat, despite finishing with 29 more rebounds than the Rockets.

NBA scores: Magic vs Kings 

Orlando Magic registered a comfortable 132-116 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, with Terence Ross leading Magic's charge. Harry Giles III had a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds for the Kings but saw his team squander their opportunity to gain ground on the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies, who lost earlier in the day. Terrence Ross came off the bench to score 25 points for the Magic, while Aaron Gordon scored 22, with Magic battling the Brooklyn Nets for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference NBA standings. 

(Image Courtesy: Luka Doncic Instagram)