Apr 18, 2026, 01:00 AM ET
PHOENIX — Jalen Green scored 36 points, Devin Booker added 20 and the Phoenix Suns locked down Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, beating them 111-96 in the NBA play-in tournament Friday night.
The Suns claimed the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and will face defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Game 1. Golden State’s season is over.
Green made 14 of 20 shots, including 8 of 14 from 3-point range. Jordan Goodwin finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and six steals, making a major impact on defense.
The performance was redemption for Green after a difficult seven-game series last year against the Warriors while he was with the Houston Rockets, when he averaged 13.3 points and shot 37% from the field.
“I remember what they did last year. … There’s a lesson in every situation,” Green said. “It’s never failure. You always get back up. So, I for sure brought some of that energy from last year into tonight’s game, and we capitalized. I’m happy about it.”
Late in the fourth quarter Booker and Golden State’s Draymond Green were each assessed technical fouls after a verbal exchange and were ejected.
Curry, 38, struggled to find clean looks and finished with 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Brandin Podziemski led Golden State with 23 points.
Phoenix led by five at halftime and pushed the advantage to 69-53 with 5:12 left in the third after a fast-break layup by Royce O’Neale. The margin was 85-72 with 10:12 remaining.
There were reasons to worry the lead might slip: Phoenix had blown an 11-point fourth-quarter lead in a loss to Portland on Tuesday, while Golden State rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the LA Clippers on Wednesday, setting up Friday’s winner-take-all game.
“Obviously, Tuesday night was emotional for everyone how it ended, but I think that’s what we’ve done all year,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “I think the group that’s in that locker room has a ton of resilience and wants to do things different. And that’s what we stress from the get-go. Sometimes, the road’s not always the one that you choose … or the one that’s most traveled. Sometimes, it’s the least traveled. So, we found our way in. Now, it’s on to the next thing.”
The Warriors threatened another comeback after Curry hit a 3 that cut the lead to 85-78 with 9:30 left, but Phoenix answered by scoring the next seven points.
The Suns avoided becoming the first team to lose both play-in tournament games at home since the format began in 2021.
“These guys want to be in those types of environments,” Ott said. “When you find that sweet spot, you want to hang on to it. We’re at that spot. Perfect timing — perfect time for all that to happen and then to see the results pay off. … Know it’s a quick turnaround to Sunday, know the opponent that we got going up against, but we’re excited. We’re excited to keep this thing rolling.”
Kristaps Porzingis played through right ankle soreness from an injury suffered Wednesday against the Clippers. The 7-foot-3 center logged 15 minutes and scored 11 points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
