SportyTV | NBA: Suns, Magic win play-in games to earn 8th seeds

Jalen Green scored 36 points, Devin Booker added 20 and the Phoenix Suns locked down Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, winning 111-96 in the NBA's play-in tournament Friday night.

The Suns took the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Game 1. The Warriors' season is over.

Green shot 14 of 20 from the field, including 8 of 14 on 3-pointers. Jordan Goodwin scored 19 points, had nine rebounds and was a menace on defence with six steals.

Booker and Golden State's Draymond Green were both assessed two technical fouls late in the fourth quarter after exchanging words multiple times and were ejected.

The 38-year-old Curry couldn't get many clean looks and finished with 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 23 points.

Phoenix led by five at the break and built a 69-53 advantage with 5:12 left in the third after a fast-break layup by Royce O'Neale. It was 85-72 with 10:12 remaining.

PLAYOFF BOUND. pic.twitter.com/3f9O152Az4
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 18, 2026

Magic post record-setting rout of Hornets

Paolo Banchero scored 25 points and the Orlando Magic rolled to a 35-point first-half lead, taking full control on the way to a 121-90 rout of the Charlotte Hornets in a play-in tournament elimination game.

The Magic earned the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Their reward is a matchup with top-seeded Detroit, a best-of-seven that begins Sunday on the Pistons' home floor.

The Magic were physical from the outset, and the Hornets were never in the game. Franz Wagner had 18 points for Orlando, along with seven rebounds and six assists.

Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting, while Desmond Bane scored 13 and Jalen Suggs added 12 for the Magic.

Orlando led by 31 at halftime, the biggest midpoint lead in the play-in tournament’s seven-year history. It has been utilised in this format – four teams qualifying from each conference, playing to decide the final two playoff spots on each half of the bracket – since 2021.

LaMelo Ball, who the NBA said should have been ejected from Tuesday’s season-extending win over Miami for an uncalled flagrant foul against Bam Adebayo, led the Hornets with 23 points, 21 of them coming in the third quarter.