Jalen Green explodes

Jalen Green shot Phoenix into the playoffs Friday night, scoring 36 points in a 111-96 play-in win over Golden State. (nba.com) Green went 14-for-20 from the field and hit eight 3-pointers in the West’s No. 8 seed game at Phoenix. Devin Booker added 20 points, and the Suns opened with a 33-15 first quarter that Golden State never erased. (espn.com) Phoenix held Stephen Curry and the Warriors to 96 points and ended Golden State’s season. Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 23 points in the loss. (nbcsports.com) The result sent the Suns into the first round as the Western Conference’s last playoff team. Phoenix now faces the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 on Sunday, April 19. (nba.com) That matchup comes one day after the play-in ended and one day after the 2026 first round began elsewhere in the league. The National Basketball Association’s schedule lists the play-in from April 14-17 and the playoffs opening April 18. (nba.com) For Phoenix, Green’s burst capped a season in which he arrived with pressure to supply scoring next to Booker. The Associated Press reported Saturday that Green had pushed through an injury-filled year and peaked in the elimination game. (apnews.com) For Golden State, the loss closed a 37-45 season with no playoff berth after the Warriors fell on the road in the final play-in game. ESPN’s box score lists Golden State at 37-45 and Phoenix at 45-37 entering Friday night. (espn.com) Now the spotlight shifts from Green’s eight threes to Phoenix’s turnaround time: less than 48 hours after beating Golden State, the Suns are on the court in Oklahoma City. (usatoday.com)