Warriors vs. Suns for No. 8

Golden State and Phoenix play Friday, April 17, for the Western Conference’s last playoff spot, with tipoff set for 10 p.m. Eastern at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. (nba.com) The National Basketball Association’s play-in tournament gives teams that finish seventh through 10th one extra path into the bracket. The No. 7-No. 8 loser gets a second chance, while the No. 9-No. 10 winner has to survive again to claim the No. 8 seed. (nba.com) Phoenix is in this game because it finished 45-37, lost 114-110 at home to Portland on April 14, and slipped from a direct shot at the seventh seed into one more elimination game. Portland took the West’s No. 7 seed with that win. (espn.com) (nba.com) Golden State got here the harder way. The Warriors finished 37-45, entered as the West’s No. 10 team, and then beat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 on April 15 behind Stephen Curry’s 35 points to stay alive. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) That setup makes Friday the last Western Conference play-in game before the first round opens April 18. The winner becomes the No. 8 seed and moves on to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. (nba.com) (espn.com) The matchup also pits a better regular-season record against the team that arrives with fresher momentum. Phoenix finished eight games over.500, while Golden State needed a fourth-quarter rally against the Clippers just to extend its season by two days. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The season series gives both sides a case. Golden State won on November 4 and December 20, while Phoenix won on December 18 and February 5, leaving the teams split 2-2. (nba.com) The league lists Prime Video as the exclusive broadcaster for all six play-in games, including Suns-Warriors. Friday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time in Arizona. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) By the end of Friday night, the Western bracket will be complete. One team gets Oklahoma City on April 18, and the other starts its offseason. (nba.com)