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The 2026 play-in tournament starts tonight, and the only game that Spurs fans really need to be interested in is the second matchup, which will decide San Antonio’s first round opponent. Will it be Dillon Brooks, Devin Booker and the Suns, or will it be Tiago
Splitter’s overperforming Blazers squad. No one is really giving Portland much of a chance to beat Phoenix, but the teams are pretty evenly matched with the Suns leading the season series 2-1. The last game was on February 22, a 92-77 rock fight win by the Blazers. Both teams are more healthy tonight, so perhaps at least one of them will score in triple digits tonight. The winner will face the Spurs in the first round series beginning at the Frost Bank center on April 19, and the loser will go on to face the winner of the tomorrow’s Clippers/Warriors game on Friday for the chance to be dismantled by the Thunder in their first round matchup. I’m kind of hoping that the Warriors will end up facing the Thunder because their shooting could cause problems for OKC, and also because I don’t like the Suns or the Clippers. Let’s go Blazers!
Game Prediction:
Jeff Bezos will use his Blue Origin rocket to attend both games in person, which will create quite a mess when it lands in the parking lot at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets—6:30 PM
Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers—9:00 PM
April 14, 2026
TV: Amazon Prime
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