Jazz beats Kings to clinch 1st seed; Suns finish in 2nd
May 16, 2021, 8:33 PM | Updated: 9:21 pm
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns watches his three-point shot over Rudy Gobert #27 and Georges Niang #31 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of the NBA game at Phoenix Suns Arena on April 30, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Jazz 121-100. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
After falling behind early, the Utah Jazz made a second-quarter comeback and eventually pulled away from the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
With the win, the Jazz have clinched the top seed in the Western Conference. The Phoenix Suns finish with the second seed.
Phoenix handled business against the Spurs in the regular-season finale Sunday as it defeated San Antonio, 123-121.
Suns guard E’Twaun Moore hit the go-ahead three-point dagger for the Suns with two seconds left in the game.
E’Twaun Moore, GAME. Suns stay alive for the 1 seed. pic.twitter.com/RfUHYeoDtw
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 16, 2021
Moore led Phoenix with 22 points off the bench, while starting guards Cam Payne and Jevon Carter added 19 apiece. Carter added a career-high 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The bench group did all it needed to put the Suns in position for first place, but Utah did its job against the Kings to clinch the best record in the NBA.
Here are the top four Western Conference spots of the final regular-season standings. The Denver Nuggets hold the tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Clippers.
NBA Western Conference playoff seeding tracker
| Place | Team | Record (Winning %) | Games back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
52-20 (.722) | — |
| 2 |  |
51-21 (.708) | 1.0 |
| 3 |  |
47-25 (.653) | 5.0 |
| 4 |  |
47-25 (.653) | 5.0 |
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