Phoenix secured their spot in the NBA playoffs Friday night with a commanding 111-96 victory over Golden State in the play-in tournament, powered by Jalen Green’s explosive 36-point performance.
The win grants the Suns the Western Conference’s eighth playoff position. Phoenix will now travel to face the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who earned the top seed, beginning their first-round matchup on Sunday.
“Sometimes the road’s not always the one that you choose and think it’s going to happen or the one that’s most traveled, sometimes it’s the least traveled,” Phoenix head coach Jordan Ott reflected. “We found our way in, now it’s on to the next thing.”
Phoenix capitalized on Golden State’s mistakes, converting 21 Warriors turnovers into 30 points.
Following their disappointing collapse against Portland in their initial play-in contest, the Suns managed to maintain their advantage this time around.
However, the game’s final moments provided some tension.
With the result already determined, Golden State’s Draymond Green accumulated his sixth foul with slightly over a minute left on the clock. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took time to embrace both Green and Stephen Curry, acknowledging their shared history across four NBA championship campaigns.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I still love coaching but I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date,” Kerr stated, noting his contract expires this summer. “There’s a run that happens and when the run ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas and all that, and if that’s the case, then I will be just nothing but grateful for the most amazing opportunity any person could have to coach this franchise.”
When play continued, Green and Phoenix’s Devin Booker engaged in an intense verbal exchange that lasted several moments before officials intervened, issuing technical fouls to both players. Green was subsequently ejected from the game.
Phoenix established early dominance with a 13-0 scoring surge after Golden State opened with the first two points, then finished the opening quarter with eight straight points for a 33-15 advantage.
The Warriors’ 15 first-quarter points marked their lowest quarterly output since managing just 14 points in the fourth quarter of their March 7 matchup against Oklahoma City.
While Phoenix shot an impressive 52.4% in the opening period, they encountered difficulties in the second quarter as Golden State mounted a comeback.
The Suns managed only 5 successful shots out of 20 attempts in the second quarter, allowing Golden State to narrow the gap to just two points on Curry’s free throws with 19.6 seconds left before halftime.
As the clock wound down, Jalen Green rose up for a three-point attempt from the wing and connected, marking Phoenix’s first successful field goal in over five minutes and giving the Suns a 50-45 halftime lead.
Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski contributed 10 of his game-leading 23 points during the second quarter comeback. He also paced the Warriors with 10 rebounds.
Phoenix regained firm control during the third quarter with an 11-1 scoring run that included a pair of three-pointers from Jalen Green.
Booker contributed 20 points along with eight assists and six rebounds. Phoenix’s Jordan Goodwin provided valuable support with 19 points, nine rebounds, and six steals.
“Truly that group in the locker room’s been special all year and was special again in the last three or four days, overcoming the disappointment and coming out and playing that hard against a team that has every solution in the book,” Ott praised. “… Sometimes it just comes down to toughness.”
Curry managed 17 points in the defeat but struggled with his shooting, connecting on just 4 of 16 field goal attempts and 3 of 10 three-point tries. De’Anthony Melton provided 16 points and eight rebounds coming off the bench.
