Green scores 36 points, Suns lock down Warriors, Curry in 111-96 win in NBA’s play-in tourney

PHOENIX (AP) — 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 defense 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 third after a fast-break layup by Royce O’Neale. It was 85-72 with 10:12 remaining.

There was reason to believe the lead wasn’t safe. Phoenix blew an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead in a loss to Portland on Tuesday night, while Golden State clawed back from a 13-point fourth-quarter hole to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, which led to the winner-take-all matchup Friday.

The Warriors looked as if they might have another comeback brewing — Curry hit a 3-pointer that cut the margin to 85-78 with 9:30 left — but the Suns responded with the next seven points.

The Suns avoided becoming the first team to lose both play-in tournament games on their home floor. The current format was established in 2021.

Golden State’s Kristaps Porzingis played through right ankle soreness, the result of an injury Wednesday against the Clippers. The 7-foot-3 center played just 15 minutes and finished with 11 points.

The Suns built an early 13-2 lead after the Warriors turned the ball over four times. Phoenix pushed the advantage to 33-15 through one quarter after Golden State shot just 30%, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

But the Warriors recovered, cutting it to 50-45 by halftime.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba