Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Phoenix Suns ended the Golden State Warriors’ season and the Orlando Magic thrashed the Charlotte Hornets as the NBA playoffs’ final teams were decided Friday. Jalen Green put in a dazzling performance with 36 points, including eight triples, to secure the Western Conference No.8 seed for Phoenix with a 111-96 win over Stephen Curry’s Warriors. The Suns got off to a bright start with a 33-15 lead in the first quarter, before the Warriors cut the deficit to five points at half-time. But Phoenix kept a wasteful Golden State at arms’ length, successfully limiting veteran superstar Curry to just 17 points.
With barely a minute left, Jordan Goodwin intercepted a pass intended for Steph Curry and scored a transition bucket, before adding a three on Phoenix’s next possession to secure the win. Victory set up a first-round playoff clash for Phoenix with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending NBA champions. “Happy as hell. We came out fire, we knew this was a do-or-die game,” said Green, who added six rebounds and four assists. For the injury-plagued and ageing Warriors, who won the NBA title in 2022, it was a disappointing end to a third consecutive season in the play-in tournament, crashing out before the playoffs as they did in 2024. In fiery late scenes, two Warriors players — Draymond Green and Devin Booker — were ejected from the court, with Green continuing to taunt the home Phoenix fans as he departed.
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Orlando beat the Hornets 121-90 to keep their season alive and set up a daunting first-round playoff series for the Magic against the Eastern Conference top-seeded Detroit Pistons. Paolo Banchero top-scored with 25 points in Orlando’s last chance to qualify for the post-season via the play-in tournament, having failed at their first attempt against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. A physical, tough Magic outfit outmuscled the youthful Hornets from the tip-off of the win-or-go-home game in front of a sell-out 19,000 home crowd at Orlando’s Kia Center. Banchero bulldozed Charlotte’s defense, scoring 12 in the first quarter alone.
Having never trailed by more than a single point, Orlando soon stretched comfortably clear, establishing a giant 35-point lead shortly before half-time. Recovering from a sluggish start, LaMelo Ball — the hero of the Hornets’ first play-in game against Miami on Tuesday — exploded after the break. He poured in 21 points in the third quarter alone as he tried to single-handedly extend Charlotte’s season. But Orlando’s lead never dipped below 20 points, as the Magic eased to a win against a Charlotte side that had finished the regular season in strong form. Victory ensured the Magic have reached the playoffs for the third straight season, while the Hornets’ decade-long wait goes on. The NBA playoffs begin Saturday.
© 2024 AFP
