Suns eliminate Warriors; open vs Thunder
Phoenix knocked Golden State out in the West play‑in to clinch the final playoff spot and will start the first‑round series at home, with Game 1 on April 19 and Game 2 on April 21. ( )
Phoenix ended Golden State’s season Friday night, beating the Warriors 111-96 in the Western Conference play-in and taking the last playoff spot in the West. (nba.com) Jalen Green scored 36 points for Phoenix and hit 8 of 14 from 3-point range, while Devin Booker added 20. Stephen Curry was held in check as the Suns opened with a 13-2 run and led 33-15 after one quarter. (abcnews.com, nba.com) The win sent Phoenix into a first-round series against Oklahoma City, the top seed in the Western Conference and the defending NBA champion. Game 1 is set for Sunday, April 19, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, and Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22. (abcnews.com, nba.com) The play-in tournament decides the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each conference, with teams seeded seventh through 10th competing for the final two playoff spots. Phoenix had already lost once in the play-in, falling to Portland on April 14 before getting a second chance against Golden State on April 17. (nba.com, nba.com) That made Friday’s game an elimination test for both teams, but with different stakes. Phoenix avoided becoming the first team to lose both play-in games at home under the format the NBA adopted in 2021, while Golden State’s season ended one game short of the bracket. (nba.com, nba.com) Oklahoma City finished 64-18 and opens the series at home because the higher seed gets home-court advantage in the first round. The Thunder schedule lists Games 1 and 2 in Oklahoma City on April 19 and April 22, with Games 3 and 4 shifting to Phoenix on April 25 and April 27. (nba.com, espn.com) Phoenix comes in after a volatile week. The Suns lost their first play-in game, then responded with their most complete performance of the tournament, building an early cushion and never letting Golden State erase it. (nba.com, sports.yahoo.com) Now the turnaround is immediate: Phoenix goes from a Friday elimination game to a Sunday afternoon opener against the West’s No. 1 seed, with no margin left after surviving the play-in. (nba.com, nba.com)
