The Phoenix Suns finishing in seventh place in the Western Conference standings assured them two home opportunities to make the NBA playoffs.
They squandered the first one Tuesday, losing, 114-110, to the Portland Trail Blazers for the seventh playoff seed after leading by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Phoenix will get that second chance Friday against the Golden State Warriors at Mortgage Matchup Center. The winner will land the eighth seed and take on defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the conference playoffs beginning Sunday.
Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) during the second half against the Golden State Warriors, Feb. 5, 2026, in Phoenix.
“The goal is to get in, just get in any way possible,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said after Tuesday’s loss. “It's been our goal for a while. So, we got to move on, got to move on. It sucks, these are hard to take, but there's stuff to learn here that we got to learn fast, and do everything we can to get ready for Friday night.”
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The Warriors (37-45) stunned the Los Angeles Clippers (42-40) in the 9-10 Play-In game, 126-121, on Wednesday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The Clippers were ahead by 13 points with under 10 minutes left in the game.
“Pissed off," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said after the game. "We had a game in our hands, some silly plays, not doing the right thing execution wise. To be up 13 points within 10 minutes of the game, we got to finish that game.”
Stephen Curry scored a game-high 35 points as his 3-pointer with 50.4 seconds left put Golden State ahead for good, 120-117. He finished 7 of 12 from distance.
“That was fun," Curry said." That's what you live for right there."
Golden State went 3-1 versus Phoenix this season.
Here’s a breakdown of the Suns upcoming play-in game against the Warriors.
Suns play-in matchup
What: No. 10 Golden State Warriors (37-45) at No. 7 Phoenix Suns (45-37)
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Mortgage Matchup Center
Watch: Amazon Prime Video streaming
2026 Play-in record: Suns 0-1, Warriors 1-0
Winner: Earns No. 8 seed in Western Conference playoffs. Will play No. 1-seeded Thunder (64-18) in first round. Game 1 is Sunday in Oklahoma City
Loser: Season is over
What to watch
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game against the against the Los Angeles Clippers, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif.
How to defend Curry? He’s back. Like all the way back.
Curry played his fifth straight game Wednesday after missing 27 with right knee issues. On a minute restriction, Curry posted 11 points, going 2 of 4 on 3s, and three assists in the fourth.
He had some help.
Al Horford turned back the clock at age 39 years old with 12 points in the fourth, hitting 4 of 4 from distance with Curry assisting on the first and final one.
Draymond Green's defense on Kawhi Leonard was throwback. Leonard finished with just 19 points, with just two coming in the fourth quarter on two shot attempts.
Golden State already won in Phoenix this season without Curry. Imagine the confidence the Warriors, which finished 10th in the West, will have with him Friday night.
Playing small: The strategy failed the Suns late in Tuesday's loss, but they were in position to win with an 11-point lead with 6:41 left in the fourth.
Ott may resort to a small lineup against the Warriors because their big, Kristaps Porzingis, is a 3-point shooter. He shot 3 of 6 from distance in scoring 20 points Wednesday.
Ott has conceded the Suns aren’t a great defensive rebounding team, but he’s preached winning the possession game by forcing turnovers, protecting the ball and working the offensive glass.
If Grayson Allen returns from injury, he’ll likely be in the rotation. Allen has missed Phoenix’s last two games with left hamstring soreness.
If he can’t, will Ott go with a nine-man rotation and stick with Ryan Dunn or go with Haywood Highsmith, rookie Rasheer Fleming or Amir Coffey? He could go back to a 10-man rotation, but Ott wants to play Jalen Green, Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks heavy minutes.
Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn, right, drives past Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday (5) during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in Phoenix.
Another 'clutch' game? The Suns are 5-8 in “clutch" games after Tuesday’s loss since the All-Star break. Those are defined by the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points.
The Warriors are 8-9 in “clutch games” since the All-Star break. The win Wednesday was another.
Phoenix has talked about the need to continue to play fast, but that strategy often clashes with the idea of valuing every possession.
The game will likely be close late. Phoenix’s half-court offense has been average at best.
Can defense save the Suns? They've gone from 10th in defensive rating going into the All-Star break to 13th the rest of the regular season.
Season series, Warriors, 3-1
– Nov. 4: Warriors 116-107. Booker exploded for 38 points, but Phoenix dropped to 3-5 at the time after the road loss. Curry paced the Warriors with 28 points. Brooks received a technical foul from the bench wearing street clothes late in the game as he was out due to injury.
– Dec. 18: Suns 99-98. Booker and Brooks combined for 49 points in the home win. The two teams combined to go 22 of 77 on 3s, while Curry shot 2 of 9 from deep and finished with 15 points. Phoenix scored 30 points off 20 Golden State turnovers.
– Dec. 20: Warriors 119-116. Booker and Curry put on a show that ended with Golden State escaping with a home victory. Collin Gillespie missed a 3 with Phoenix down two with 18.4 seconds left. Booker scored 38 points while Curry posted 28 points and 10 boards.
– Feb. 5: Warriors 101-97. Without Curry, Golden State upset the Suns in Phoenix. Green missed all four matchups against the Warriors due to injury. The Suns were also down Booker, who averaged 33.7 points in his three games against the Warriors.
Head coaches
Jordan Ott: 45-37 (first year). Ott is Phoenix’s fourth head coach in four seasons. He replaced Mike Budenholzer, who was fired after going 36-46 in his only year in Phoenix as the team missed the postseason.
Steve Kerr: 604-353 (12th year). The Warriors suffered their first losing season since 2019-20, when Curry played only five games. They won just three of their last 10 games this regular season, but now are just one victory away from the playoffs.
By the numbers
– Points per game: Suns 112.6 (26th), Warriors 114.6 (22nd)
– FG%: Suns 45.5% (28th), Warriors 46.1% (24th)
– 3PT%: Suns 36.1% (12th), Warriors 35.6% (20th)
– FT%: Suns 78.1% (15th), Warriors 80.7% (6th)
– Rebounds per game: Suns 43.1 (20th), Warriors 42.3 (21st)
– Offensive rebounds: Suns 13.0 (4th), Warriors 11.4 (15th)
– Offensive rating: Suns 114.2 (17th), Warriors 113.8 (19th)
– Defensive rating: Suns 112.9 (9th), Warriors 114.4 (16th)
– Second-chance points: Suns 16.4 (6th), Warriors 15.7 (9th)
– Assists: Suns 24.6 (27th), Warriors 28.9 (6th)
– Turnovers: Suns 14.5 (15th), Warriors 15.7 (27th)
– Points off turnovers: Suns 19.9 (5th), Warriors 19.4 (7th)
– Steals: Suns 9.5 (4th), Warriors 9.7 (2nd)
– Points in the paint: Suns 43.1 (29th), Warriors 45.0 (26th)
– Fast break points: Suns 14.1 (20th), Warriors 12.0 (28th)
