LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (KXAN) — The San Antonio Spurs are determined to keep the franchise’s 22-season playoff streak alive after DeMar DeRozan boosted the team’s 108-106 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday with two late free throws.
With the victory over Memphis, San Antonio (29-36) moved to the 9th seed in the Western Conference standings, and positioned themselves to reach the play-in tournament for the conference’s final playoff spot.
The Spurs built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and fought off a strong Grizzlies rally in the final minutes.
Jaren Jackson Jr. hit a 3-pointer for Memphis to tie the game at 106 with 10 seconds remaining. DeRozan knocked down two free throws for the win after he was fouled by Dillon Brooks on a pump-fake with one second left.
If San Antonio continues its strong play in the final six games of the NBA’s restarted season, it could very well find itself in a rematch with the Grizzlies (32-35) in that play-in tournament for the playoffs.
According to the NBA’s restart rules, if the 9th seed is within four games of the 8th seed at the conclusion of the regular season, the two teams play a double-elimination tournament for the playoff spot. As the 9th seed, the Spurs would need to win twice against the 8th seed. The 8th seed would only have to win once in the play-in tournament.
Currently, the Spurs are two games back of Memphis for the 8th seed. The Portland Trailblazers trail San Antonio by .5 game for the 9th seed. The Sacramento Kings are one game back of San Antonio for the coveted final spot.
San Antonio returns to the court on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m.
