The Phoenix Suns shut down Stephen Curry and held off the Golden State Warriors 111-96 Friday night in a decisive NBA play-in tournament matchup, sending their opponents home for the season while claiming the Western Conference's No. 8 seed.
Jalen Green carried the offensive load for Phoenix, scorching the Warriors with 36 points on an efficient 14-of-20 shooting, including 8 three-pointers. Devin Booker contributed 20 points as the Suns took control early and never relented. Jordan Goodwin added 19 points while wreaking havoc on defense with six steals and nine rebounds.
Curry, the Warriors' offensive engine, struggled mightily against Phoenix's defensive pressure. The 38-year-old managed just 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting, unable to find rhythm or space throughout the contest. Brandin Podziemski led Golden State with 23 points in a losing effort.
Phoenix built momentum early, leading by five at halftime before extending the advantage to 16 points by late in the third quarter. The Suns' defense tightened as the game progressed, forcing the Warriors into difficult looks and limiting their ability to mount a fourth-quarter comeback.
Tensions boiled over late in the fourth quarter when Booker and Golden State's Draymond Green exchanged words repeatedly. Both players received two technical fouls and were ejected from the game with just minutes remaining.
The Suns advance to face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series. Warriors, a franchise that won four titles in eight years, watches from home as their season ends in the play-in tournament.
Magic dispatch Hornets in blowout
The Orlando Magic routed the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in another play-in matchup, securing the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed and a first-round date with the Detroit Pistons.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 25 points as the Magic built a 35-point halftime lead that the Hornets could never threaten. The rout was complete early, with Charlotte shooting just 5-for-20 with six turnovers in an abysmal opening quarter that set the tone for the evening.
LaMelo Ball scored 21 of his 23 points in the third quarter for Charlotte, a rally that came far too late. Ball was saddled with foul trouble in the first half, going scoreless with two turnovers as he checked out with three fouls with 7:10 remaining in the half. He didn't score until Orlando's lead had already swelled to 35 points late in the second quarter.
Orlando, which exited in the first round the past two postseasons, returns to playoff action against Detroit on Sunday. Charlotte, which hasn't seen playoff basketball since 2016, can blame the Hornets' inability to execute early as the reason they won't get their chance, despite winning three of their last four regular-season meetings with Orlando.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Suns proved you don't need pretty basketball to get past the Warriors in a playoff setting, just stifling defense and efficiency from your scorers."
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