After Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors took down the rival Los Angeles Clippers in their own NBA play-in tournament matchup, the Phoenix Suns now know what it will take to punch their ticket to the 2026 playoffs.
They’ll have to beat the Warriors on Friday, April 17, to advance for a first round matchup against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
Unfortunately for Phoenix, the numbers this season don’t paint a rosy picture in matchups against Golden State. The Suns went 1-3 this season against the Dubs, with their lone win coming by one point in a 99-98 victory back in December.
Face of the franchise Devin Booker, for what it’s worth, has done his part against the Warriors. He played in three of the four matchups with Golden State this season, popping off for 38 points in two of those three contests.
The Suns, though, lost both games when Book approached a 40-piece as the supporting cast around him didn’t provide much of a lift. The Warriors, to their credit, may have game-planned to hone in on Booker’s teammates, allowing Book to get his points but shutting down a broader team effort to lock in wins in three out of four games.
Of course, neither team will look the same as they did throughout the early stages of the regular season. Warriors star Jimmy Butler is sidelined with a torn right ACL injury, and Golden State has more size now with Kristaps Porzingis in the fold after trading disgruntled forward Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks earlier this year.
So, what will be the key for Phoenix to flip that regular season script?
Suns vs Warriors play-in tournament game preview, prediction
The X-factor for Phoenix will continue to be guard Jalen Green. Due to a rash of injuries this season, the trade acquisition from the Houston Rockets didn’t play at all against the Warriors this season.
Book also missed the final loss against the Warriors back in February, and Dillon Brooks didn’t play in the first matchup back in November.
As has been the case for seemingly the entire 2025-26 season, Phoenix didn’t have a fully healthy roster at any point when it played against the Warriors this season. However, the Warriors notably beat the Suns without Curry in the final regular season meeting, as backup guard Pat Spencer got the start and drained six triples en route to a 20-point performance.
Both teams have dealt with injuries — and the Warriors being without Butler now is a significant blow.
But the addition of Green back into the mix for Phoenix will be key. After a disastrous 2025 postseason with the Rockets, Green showed up in a big way in the play-in tourney game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The athletic guard scored a team-high 35 points on 48.3% shooting from the field, but he also turned the ball over five times.
Speaking of turnovers, it’s one area where Phoenix seemed to thrive against the Warriors in 2025-26. The Suns forced, on average, 18 turnovers per game from Golden State — a promising stat despite the regular season losses. Forcing those turnovers and capitalizing on the added possessions they create for the Suns is something to watch along the margins.
The impact of Mark Williams will also be hugely important for the Suns. After the talented center was pinned to the bench in crunch time of the play-in loss against Portland, first-year head coach Jordan Ott should look to get Williams more involved offensively in their final chance at making the playoffs.
Williams was a mixed bag against Golden State throughout the season. He twice recorded double-doubles, but also twice played fewer than 20 minutes to average five points and 4.5 rebounds in the other contests. Phoenix is hoping they don't get the latter version.
Williams (and backup Oso Ighodaro) will be key for matching up with Golden State’s size via Porzingis and veteran center Al Horford — ensuring that they limit opportunities in the paint while also not allowing either guy to get open looks from beyond the arc (no small task).
Even without Butler, the Warriors have a wealth of playoff experience through Curry and Green. Phoenix, on the other hand, is still trying to figure out their identity when their own Green, Booker and Brooks are all healthy.
The play-in being a one-game, do-or-die scenario may help the Suns, but Curry and Green still deserve a level of respect they've earned over many successful seasons together.
Prediction: Warriors win 109-105
Add us as a preferred source on Google