PHOENIX — thunder score came to life on Friday night as the Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors 111-96 in the final play-in elimination game and locked up the Western Conference’s eighth seed. Jalen Green led the way with 36 points, and the Suns will now visit the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday to open the first round. Stephen Curry finished with 17 points as Golden State’s season ended at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Green delivers when Phoenix needed it most
The Suns used a fast start, a timely burst before halftime, and another strong push in the third quarter to hold off Golden State after letting a late lead slip away in their previous play-in game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Phoenix scored 30 points off 21 Warriors turnovers, a major separator in a game that tightened briefly before the Suns pulled away again. thunder score was not just about the final margin; it was about Phoenix answering pressure with cleaner execution.
Green’s night stood out from the opening stretch. He scored on a corner three after a pump fake and later hit another deep shot just before the shot clock expired. He finished 14 of 20 from the field and tied a career high with eight 3-pointers, adding six rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocked shots. Devin Booker added 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Jordan Goodwin chipped in 19 points, nine rebounds and six steals.
Warriors fade as turnovers and shooting trouble pile up
Golden State opened with the first two points, but Phoenix answered with a 13-0 run and closed the first quarter on an 8-0 burst to lead 33-15. The Warriors managed only 15 first-quarter points, their lowest in a quarter since scoring 14 in the fourth quarter on March 7 against the Thunder. They did rally in the second, pulling within two on Curry free throws with 19. 6 seconds left in the half, but Green answered with a wing three to send Phoenix into the break up 50-45.
Brandin Podziemski led Golden State with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Curry shot 4 of 16 from the floor and 3 of 10 from 3-point range. With the outcome already settled, Draymond Green fouled out with just over a minute left, and the game ended with a heated exchange involving Green and Booker that resulted in technical fouls and Green’s ejection.
What the win means for the Thunder score matchup
The Thunder score now becomes the next stage of Phoenix’s postseason run, and the Suns will enter that series with momentum from a game in which they handled the most important stretches better than the Warriors. The matchup begins Sunday, with Phoenix traveling to face the defending champion and top-seeded Thunder in a first-round series. For a team that had to survive the play-in route, the result was decisive: the Suns are in, and the Warriors are out.
For Phoenix, the bigger picture is that Green’s arrival in the lineup has finally translated into a defining performance at the right time. The Suns had to withstand a difficult road to get here, and thunder score will now follow them into a much bigger test against Oklahoma City.
