It will be the Phoenix Suns against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA playoffs, as the Golden State Warriors were only able to muster one wild comeback in the play-in tournament.
The Suns took an early lead and held it throughout the rest of the game, emerging with a 111-94 win to take the final playoff spot in the West. They’ll begin their series against the top-seeded Thunder on Sunday, while the Warriors’ season is over.
Advertisement
It was Jalen Green who showed out for the Suns, posting 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting (8-of-14 on 3-pointers) plus 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. That 3-point total tied the play-in tournament record.
The Warriors, meanwhile, looked understandably gassed after a furious effort to survive the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Stephen Curry posted only 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting with 4 assists and 4 turnovers.
Earlier in the night, the Orlando Magic had little trouble with the Charlotte Hornets to win the final playoff spot in the East. They were up by 22 at the end of the first quarter, up 31 at halftime and dominated in pretty much every phase of the game.
Advertisement
The Magic will now face the Detroit Pistons in the first round, while the Hornets’ season is over. Central Florida enjoyed the game, and South Florida probably did as well.
Here’s how the final night of NBA play-in action went down at Yahoo Sports:
Live coverage is over53 updatesFri, April 17, 2026 at 6:03 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:48 PM PDT
The Suns knock off the Warriors to secure the No. 8 seed in the West playoffs. Their reward? A first-round matchup with the defending champion Thunder, with Game 1 on Sunday. The Warriors, meanwhile, will head into an offseason full of questions after another disappointing postseason exit.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:46 PM PDT
Draymond Green, perhaps in his final act as a Warrior (?), gets ejected along with Devin Booker — by referee Scott Foster — after the two exchanged words with 1:04 left. Of course.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:44 PM PDT
Draymond Green fouls out with 1:06 remaining with the Warriors down 16. Steve Kerr subs out Stephen Curry, too, as the three share a moment with the future uncertain in Golden State.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:40 PM PDT
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:38 PM PDT
A dagger 3 by Royce O’Neale, followed by two turnovers by the Warriors has this game all but wrapped up with 2:02 remaining.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:34 PM PDT
Brandin Podziemski is trying to keeping the Warriors’ season alive, scoring on an and-1 and a corner 3-pointer. Suns timeout up 12 with 3:23 to go.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:27 PM PDT
Devin Booker’s showing off his midrange game, hitting two big shots to increase the Suns’ lead to 99-84. Warriors timeout with 5:21 to go.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:20 PM PDT
Jalen Green has answered with a scoring flurry of his own, scoring 7 straight. He’s up to 36 points, extending the Suns’ lead to 92-78. Warriors timeout with 7:15 to go.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:17 PM PDT
Steph Curry is warming up, hitting two 3-pointers to start the fourth. The Warriors are within 7.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:10 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Golden State is still in it, but it’s also still waiting for Stephen Curry to get going. The former MVP is at 7 points on 2-of-9 shooting with a quarter to go.
Jalen Green is up to 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting plus 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He is covering up a lot of issues on offense for the Suns.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 9:03 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Devin Booker makes his first basket since the first quarter. He hasn’t had the best game, but fortunately for the Suns that hasn’t mattered against a Warriors team we’re starting to suspect is still a little gassed from their thriller against the Clippers.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 8:57 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 8:54 PM PDT
Jack Baer
That ain’t good for the Warriors, who are now down 11 going into the final minutes of the third quarter.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 8:45 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green have the Suns back up double-digits at the first timeout of the second half, with Green up to 19 points.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 8:22 PM PDT
Jack Baer
The Suns led by as many as 18 points. They now lead by five. Much like their first play-in game against the Clippers, the Warriors are refusing to go away.
Brandin Podziemski leads Golden State with 12 points, while Stephen Curry has 6 points on 2-of-6 shooting plus 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Phoenix can only hope he doesn’t get going in the second half.
Jalen Green closed the half with a 3-pointer, giving him a game-high 14 points.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 8:18 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Warriors finishing the first half strong.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 8:14 PM PDT
Jack Baer
The Suns lose their final challenge with an unsuccessful attempt to overturn an offensive foul on Dillon Brooks, his third of the game.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 8:07 PM PDT
Jack Baer
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 8:03 PM PDT
Jack Baer
The Warriors cut the deficit to as little as eight points, but the Suns have responded with a 7-2 run, which could become an 8-2 run if Jordan Goodwin makes the and-1 free throw.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 7:53 PM PDT
Jack Baer
The Warriors open the second quarter on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 12, which prompts a Phoenix timeout. They looked a lot steadier there, while Dillon Brooks wasn’t exactly a hero with his isos on the last couple possessions.