Though fighting for the “privilege” to play the 60-win Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference and the 64-win Oklahoma City Thunder may not seem like much of a reward on paper, there’s still plenty of pride on the line in Friday’s No. 8 seed Play-In matchups — and making the playoffs would be a boon to some of the younger teams competing, too.
Orlando will be hoping home cooking can wake up its players not named Desmond Bane as it looks to bounce back from a competitive-looking loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday that actually wasn’t that close.
The Hornets, on the other hand, will be highly motivated to keep their best season since LaMelo Ball was first drafted going and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Out West, it’s the No. 8 Phoenix Suns hosting the No. 10 Golden State Warriors in a contest that has some promise for a healthy dose of over-competitiveness for just the No. 8 seed.
Phoenix played well enough to beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, but Deni Avdija’s signature moment in his young career proved too much for the Suns, who will be looking for redemption on their home floor, knowing they let one slip away.
As for the Warriors, some of that old magic from the team’s heyday returned as both Stephen Curry and Draymond Green had massive moments to upset the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and keep their season alive for at least one more game.
This likely isn’t the last season for Curry and Green, but the amount of time we’ll get to see these two legends in the playoffs is running short, and the two of them are likely more aware of that than anyone else.
Here’s a closer look at each matchup.
Eastern Conference: (8) Orlando Magic vs. (9) Charlotte Hornets @ 7:30 p.m. ET
Season Series: Hornets lead 3-1
Oct. 30: Magic 123, Hornets 107
Dec. 26: Hornets 120, Magic 105
Jan. 22: Hornets 124, Magic 97
March 19: Hornets 130, Magic 111
It hasn’t been a great end to the season for Orlando, and Wednesday’s loss to Philly seemed to only magnify the issues that have plagued the Magic all season long.
That is to say, while the supporting cast looks ready to take that next step, and the addition of Bane has seemed to work, the tandem of Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero just doesn’t appear to.
Granted, Wagner is on a minutes restriction, limiting his ability to get into rhythm and impact the game, but the same can’t be said of Banchero who, with his combination of size and skill, remains one of the most uniquely talented players in the NBA, just hasn’t been able to take that next step that many expected him to be able to do after winning Rookie of the Year in 2023.
During Wednesday’s game, Banchero scored 18 on poor seven-for-22 shooting from the floor, zero-for-five from deep and was a game-worst minus-17.
If the Magic are going to have any shot against this buzzsaw Hornets squad, they’re going to need Banchero to be a lot better than that.
After Ball only got hit with a $35,000 fine for “unnecessary and reckless contact” for essentially taking out Bam Adebayo during Charlotte’s overtime play-in win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday, you kind of got the sense that the Hornets could be something like a team of (quaint) destiny this season.
After putting up the league’s fifth-worst record at 11-22 and just the NBA’s 21st-ranked net rating at minus-three to start the season, the calendar flipped to 2026, and Charlotte became a juggernaut, as the team recorded the sixth-best record at 33-16 and put up the best net rating in the league (plus-10.5) since Jan. 1.
This isn’t to say the Hornets are this year’s Indiana Pacers, but they are a legitimate team with one of the league’s best offences led by a steadier Ball, Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel and smooth swingman Brandon Miller.
Charlotte’s still young, and that showed against Miami with Ball reverting to his old, wild self at times — particularly as he tripped Adebayo — and Knueppel having one of the worst shooting nights of his nascent NBA career, but it still managed to get the job done in the end, and there’s little reason to believe the same can’t happen again versus Orlando.
X-Factor: Coby White, Hornets
Charlotte’s trade-deadline acquisition of Coby White quietly may have ended up as the best move of the deadline this season.
White has been a perfect fit, providing extra punch off the bench and was a much-needed spark for Charlotte against Miami, recording 19 points on five-for-eight shooting from deep — including an incredible game-tying three with about 10 seconds to play in regulation — and was a game-high plus-21.
Orlando can go deeper than Miami can, but White’s ability to shoot and play low-turnover ball while acting as a secondary or tertiary ball-handler will be impactful, regardless.
Western Conference: (8) Phoenix Suns vs. (10) Golden State Warriors @ 10:00 p.m. ET
Season Series: Warriors lead 3-1
Nov. 4: Warriors 118, Suns 107
Dec. 18: Suns 99, Warriors 98
Dec. 20: Warriors 119, Suns 116
Feb. 5: Warriors 101, Suns 97
Phoenix probably shouldn’t be playing in Friday’s game.
Yes, Avdija was brilliant for the Blazers on Tuesday, but the Suns had an 11-point lead with 7:13 left to play in the fourth quarter, but ended up squandering that lead and some of that blame can fall on Devin Booker, who went zero-for-three from the floor for just three points the remainder of that game as Avdija was leading Portland to an upset victory.
For the game, Booker scored 22 on seven-for-17 shooting. That just isn’t good enough for a player of his calibre and his particular cap hold.
Tuesday’s contest saw Dillon Brooks score 20 on six-for-10 shooting, and Jalen Green explode for 35, going 14-for-29 from the floor. That should’ve been enough to earn the Suns the No. 7 seed, but Booker wasn’t up to his standard.
Against the Warriors, he’s going to have to be better.
Golden State owns its own draft pick this year, and in a loaded draft class, any sniff of the lottery would probably help the Dubs’ longer-term outlook.
However, particularly after seeing the kind of magic Curry and Green are still capable of against the Clippers on Wednesday, don’t expect the Warriors to mail it in at all.
“This is why Steph came back. Everybody out there who thought Steph should’ve taken the rest of the year off, this is what he does,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry after Wednesday’s game. “This is who he is. If he can compete, he’s going to compete, and it was just incredible to watch.”
Curry scored 35 points and drilled seven threes in Wednesday’s victory, including a vintage sidestep triple with about 50 seconds left to play to break a tie and put Golden State up for good.
That kind of competitor isn’t thinking about adding a young piece for the future. He’s only thinking about winning now, and expects to be back in the playoffs, where he also probably expects to beat the Thunder, too.
X-Factor: Gui Santos, Warriors
While Curry and Green stole headlines for their game-breaking plays at the end of the contest, the Warriors were able to stay afloat thanks to contributions from all over the lineup, including Kristaps Porzingis, Brandin Podziemski, Al Horford and, in particular, Gui Santos.
The third-year man out of Brazil enjoyed his most productive season in the NBA, and he kept up his strong play against Los Angeles, scoring 20 points on nine-for-13 shooting, including a couple of threes.
Santos isn’t very tall for his position, but he’s a thick body, understands positioning and makes smart cuts to the basket. He appeared to take the Clippers’ frontcourt by surprise, and the same could happen against a less-talented Suns front.