Jalen Green was on fire Friday night as he led the Phoenix Suns to a 111-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors, claiming the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
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After the Warriors scored first, the Suns went on a 10-0 run to start off hot early. Devin Booker struggled to reach his usual levels of production, but Jalen Green stepped up on offense instead.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry and the Warriors were ice cold from just about everywhere on the floor. Phoenix held an 18-point lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter was almost the exact opposite. The Warriors still struggled from deep, but they found ways to get to the rim and string together a strong quarter on offense.
They also played much better defense in the second quarter, keeping Booker cold and holding the Suns to just 17 points in the second frame.
Both squads played with a little more balance in the third. While the Warriors continued to pound the paint, Phoenix made a steady amount of threes. By the end of the third quarter, the Suns still led by nine.
In the final quarter, Phoenix went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to double-digits thanks to Green’s hot hand. With less just over five minutes to go, the Suns were ahead by 15. Five straight missed threes down the stretch effectively sealed the Warriors’ fate.
The Suns are now set to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
James Parker contributed to this story.
