Spurs Fall to Jazz in Final Seeding Game After 22-Year Playoff Streak Ends

The Utah Jazz won their final seeding game before embarking on the postseason with a 118-112 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.

Both teams rested or restricted minutes on their starters with the contest having no bearing on postseason positioning. Eight Jazz players scored 10 or more points, led by Rayjon Tucker's 18. Seven Spurs scored in double digits, with Keldon Johnson leading the way with 24.

The 44-28 Jazz have clinched the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face the Denver Nuggets. The 32-39 Spurs missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996-97.

Notable Performances

Jazz G Rayjon Tucker: 18 points

Jazz F Jarrell Brantley: 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds

Jazz F Georges Niang: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Spurs G Keldon Johnson: 24 points

Spurs G Dejounte Murray: 12 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists

Spurs F Luka Samanic: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Spurs' 22-Year Playoff Run Ends

The bubble experience has been a bittersweet one for San Antonio, who faced long odds to make the playoffs but nearly did so after going 5-2 in their opening seven games.

The Spurs needed a sixth win and some help but didn't get that assistance after the Phoenix Suns' and Memphis Grizzlies' victories knocked them out of the playoff push earlier Thursday.

From that point, the Spurs took their foot off the gas, resting DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Derrick White and Patty Mills versus the Jazz.

Members from the G-League's Austin Toros who got calls up to the Spurs at various points beforehand then largely took over:

The Spurs' two losses were heartbreakers: a 132-130 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers in which Shake Milton hit a backbreaking three-pointer and a 132-126 defeat to the Denver Nuggets that was tied heading into the final quarter.

Otherwise, the Spurs won their five games by an average of 9.2 points despite not having big man LaMarcus Aldridge.

They enjoyed breakout performances from Derrick White, who posted 18.9 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game in Florida. The Spurs also have a potential core piece in 20-year-old guard Keldon Johnson, who shot lights-out from the field and scored 20 or more points three times.

Johnson had a nice game Thursday with 24 points, including this tough finish in the lane:

He also enjoyed a good sequence with Jakob Poeltl, firing a quick pass to the big man for an easy two plus the foul:

Despite the end of an era officially occurring Thursday, there's reason to be optimistic that a new postseason run will begin next year, especially with the help of a lottery pick on the way.

Jazz Take It Easy in Run-Up to the Playoffs

The Jazz decided to either rest their starters entirely or bench them after the first half in their last regular-season game before the playoffs begin against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley did not play. Donovan Mitchell scored 11 points in 11 first-half minutes before taking a seat. Joe Ingles and Royce O'Neale were in the same boat, as was sixth man Jordan Clarkson, who started the first half but sat the second.

Mitchell made a big impact in limited time and got the team off on the right foot with a pair of three-pointers and a dish to Tony Bradley:

There was little reason for Utah to go hard Thursday and risk injury, especially considering the team entered the bubble shorthanded due to the loss of second-leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic.

That gave opportunities to players like Bradley, ex-Yale star Miye Oni and Tucker, who all pitched in at various points to propel Utah to a win:

Utah has not fared well without Bogdanovic, going just 3-5 in Florida. The Jazz's other two wins were against the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies, two losing teams who also went 2-6 in Disney.

The Jazz have some reason to be optimistic heading into the Denver series, though. Like them, Denver isn't playing with a full crew as Gary Harris and Will Barton have missed all bubble games with injuries. It's unclear what their statuses will be for the playoffs.

Also, Denver did go 3-0 against Utah, but the Jazz were never really out of any game, losing the trio by a combined 11 points.

Utah played Denver once in the bubble and lost 134-132 in double overtime despite heroics from Mitchell, who hit a game-tying layup to force overtime and a near-game-winner in the first extra session before Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had a buzzer-beater of his own to go to two overtimes.

Ultimately, Utah is down right now but certainly not out. The Jazz will enter their series with Denver as underdogs, but a path to an upset is there for the taking, especially if Mitchell gets hot from the field.

What's Next?

Utah, the sixth seed in the Western Conference, will face the third-seeded Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. The two teams will kick-start the entire postseason slate Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

They'll play every other day until the series' conclusion, with the winner taking on the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks victor in Round 2.

The Spurs' season is over, and they will be entered in the NBA draft lottery, which will take place Thursday, Aug. 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.