The Phoenix Suns officially punched their ticket to the 2026 NBA playoffs and avoided becoming the first No. 7 seed in the play-in era to miss the postseason by defeating Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors Friday night, 111-96.
The win would not have happened without the herculean efforts of Jalen Green. The former No. 2 overall pick who was acquired in the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade last summer put together arguably the best game of his NBA career, exorcising the demons of the 2025 postseason in the process.
Green, who really struggled in the playoffs last year against the Warriors (save for a 38-point outburst in a Game 2 win), scored 36 points on a video game-esque 14-of-20 shooting (70%) including a career-high eight 3-pointers made.
The 24-year-old added six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. He turned the ball over just twice after committing five turnovers in the play-in loss against the Portland Trail Blazers the game prior.
The Suns desperately needed the effort from Green. Competing without center Mark Williams — who was benched in crunch time of the Portland loss — and Grayson Allen, head coach Jordan Ott needed someone to step up. Green was up to the task.
Jalen Green carries Suns to the playoffs with effort against Warriors
Outside of Jordan Goodwin, who finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and a whopping six steals in the win, Green’s teammates had outings to forget.
Dillon Brooks shot just 4-of-14 from the floor, turned the ball over five times and committed four personal fouls.
Devin Booker was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, but had a lackluster shooting game (5-of-12 from the field, 0-of-4 from 3) and matched Brooks with four fouls. Book did dish out eight assists against just one turnover, but he was baited by Draymond Green’s usual antics late in the game and was ejected by referee Scott Foster as a result.
Collin Gillespie, who was a revelation during the regular season, scored just two points in 17 minutes off the bench.
All told, the Suns’ second unit finished with 13 points on a woeful 5-of-18 shooting (27.8%). Royce O'Neale scored 11 of those 13, but started the game 1-of-8 shooting from long range.
The Suns’ season was on life support after losing to Deni Avdija and the Blazers, but Green stepped up when it mattered most and showed just how valuable he can be as a scorer when he’s dialed in.
Phoenix moves on for a David vs. Goliath matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who the Suns actually played tough throughout the regular season. They finished 2-3 against OKC in five games.
Beating the Thunder as a play-in team would immediately be in the conversation for the biggest NBA playoff series upset of all time.
It would be silly to expect that from the Suns, but fighting their way into the playoffs with a new-look roster despite the injuries is an accomplishment they can all be proud of.
Add us as a preferred source on Google