Phoenix Suns hope to avoid unfortunate history in NBA play-in finale against Golden State Warriors
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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry attempting to drive past Brook Lopez of the Los Angeles Clippers during the Warriors' 126-121 NBA play-in win on April 15.
PHOTO: REUTERS
PHOENIX – After letting a chance at advancing out of the National Basketball Association (NBA) play-in tournament slip away on April 14, the Phoenix Suns will look to bounce back in an elimination game on April 17 (April 18 morning, Singapore time).
The Suns will host the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference play-in finale, with the winner advancing to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the play-offs.
Phoenix led Portland by 11 with less than seven minutes left on April 14 before the Trail Blazers came back to win 114-110 and advance into the play-offs, leaving the Suns on the brink of elimination.
The Suns are looking to avoid becoming the first No. 7 seed since the play-in tournament began to drop consecutive games and miss the play-off field since this format was introduced in 2021.
“We addressed it right away,” Phoenix coach Jordan Ott said of the disappointment following the loss to Portland. “The goal is get in, just get in any way possible. It’s been our goal for a while.
“So we’ve got to move on. Got to move on. It sucks. These are hard to take, but there’s stuff to learn in here that we’ve got to learn fast and do everything we can to get ready for Friday night.”
The Warriors, who finished 10th in the Western Conference, were on the other side of that type of game earlier this week. In their 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on April 15 that sent them into this matchup, they did not lead in the second half until Al Horford’s three-pointer with two minutes and 12 seconds left, rallying from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Golden State star Stephen Curry, who missed more than two months due to a knee injury before returning on April 5, is coming off his best game since returning to action.
He had 35 points, hitting a big three in the final minute to break a tie and lift the Warriors in their play-in opener.
“There’s a reason we have four championships, and it’s the competitiveness, the heart, the will (of Curry and Draymond Green),” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
“It’s been such a tough year, but to just show what they’re made of, what we’re made of (was big).”
The Warriors won three of the four regular-season meetings between the teams, including a 101-97 win on Feb 5 in Phoenix in the most recent matchup.
Curry missed that game due to injury, but figures to be front and centre in this one. He averaged 23.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists against the Suns this season.
“This is why Steph came back,” Kerr added of Curry’s performance in the play-in opener and his rising to the occasion in big moments.
“Everybody out there who thought Steph should’ve taken the rest of the year off, this is what he does. This is who he is. If he can compete, he’s going to compete.”
Over in the East, the Hornets and the Magic will meet to determine the last piece of the conference’s post-season field, when Charlotte visit Orlando in a battle of Southeast Division rivals.
The winner will earn the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and advance to a first-round series against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons which is slated to begin on April 19. REUTERS
