The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors will meet Friday night at Mortgage Matchup Center with the NBA’s eighth seed on the line, a winner-take-all game that will send one team to the playoffs and end the other’s season.
The game is set for 7 p.m. MST and will stream on Prime Video. Pregame coverage starts at 6 p.m. on 98.7, the Arizona Sports app or online.
Phoenix gets a second chance after falling 114-110 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in the play-in game for the seventh seed. Jalen Green hit a 3-pointer while drawing a foul to end the first half, but the Suns could not finish the job and missed their chance to lock up the higher spot.
Golden State arrives after beating the No. 9 Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 on Wednesday behind Stephen Curry’s 35 points, including 7 of 12 from 3-point range. The Warriors also won the season series 3-1 over Phoenix, a record that gives them a clear edge heading into a matchup the Suns now have to win to keep going.
If Phoenix wins, it will move on to face the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round on Sunday on the road. The Suns are trying to avoid becoming the first team since the Play-In Tournament began to finish the regular season in the No. 7 spot and lose both home games to miss the playoffs.
That is the pressure attached to Friday’s game: one team leaves with an opening-round matchup and the other leaves with a season that started in hopes of more and ends one night too soon.
