The Golden State Warriors spent the last month resigned to their fates. Even before they were locked into the play-in tournament, they knew they were headed there and would have to win two games to grab an unlikely playoff spot.
So, they prepared for a two-game season.
And the mission, in their eyes, is only half-finished.
The Warriors — along with Charlotte, Orlando and Phoenix — will be in win-or-go-home matchups Friday as the play-in tournament comes
to a close and sees two teams grab the last two available spots on the playoff bracket.
Charlotte goes to Orlando, Golden State to Phoenix. Game 1s — at Detroit in the East, at Oklahoma City in the West — await Friday night's winners.
“This is literally it,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “This is it.”
Golden State used a 41-23 run over the final 9:49 to close a comeback road win over the Los Angeles Clippers, turning a 13-point deficit into a 126-121 win and keeping its season alive. The Warriors hit six more 3-pointers than the Clippers did in that deciding stretch, and those 18 points were exactly the difference over the game-ending run.
“That was fun,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “That’s what you live for, right there.”
Charlotte — with a victory over Miami, one where LaMelo Ball's uncalled flagrant foul of Bam Adebayo commanded almost all the attention — won its way into Friday, as did the Warriors. The Magic lost in Philadelphia, giving the 76ers the No. 7 seed in the East and a matchup with Boston. And Phoenix lost at home to Portland, giving the Trail Blazers the No. 7 seed in the West and a matchup with San Antonio.
Seasons are on the line now. Miami and the Clippers have already lost elimination games, and two more teams will join them in offseason mode on Friday night.
“We've got to be ready,” Magic forward Paolo Banchero said. “I've got to be ready.”
This season's play-in tournament marks Phoenix's first time in the event. The other three remaining teams have all been there at least once before.
Golden State is in for the fourth time, Charlotte for the third time and Orlando for a second time. (Philadelphia and Portland, who have already advanced, were in the play-in for a second time in their histories.)
Golden State is 2-3 in play-in games. Orlando is 1-1, Charlotte is 1-2 and Phoenix is 0-1.
Season series: Charlotte, 3-1.
Betting line: Charlotte by 3.5.
At stake: The winner moves on to play No. 1 Detroit in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, starting Sunday. The loser is out of the playoffs.
Outlook: There's a lot to unpack here. LaMelo Ball is coming off a game where he made the winning shot, took out Bam Adebayo and was told a day later by the league that he should have been ejected from the contest. Orlando lost the last three meetings between the teams by a combined 61 points and has been, to put it kindly, erratic all season. Charlotte won the first two games in Orlando this season; no team has gone 3-0 or better on the road against the Magic — excluding the bubble year — in a season since Detroit in 2006-07. Charlotte's Miles Bridges has played in more regular-season games (501) than any other active player with no playoff appearances. He could end that streak on Friday.
Season series: Golden State, 3-1.
Betting line: Phoenix by 2.5.
At stake: The winner moves on to play No. 1 Oklahoma City in the Western Conference quarterfinals, starting Sunday. The loser is out of the playoffs.
Outlook: Golden State won the first meeting by 11, a game where Phoenix got down by 25 but had the ball with a chance to make it a two-possession game with three minutes left. The other games were decided by one, three and four points. The Warriors are coming in with a nothing-to-lose vibe and with good reason; they were injury-plagued all year, finished 37-45 and made clear for the last month that they were just getting ready for an inevitable play-in tournament run. Phoenix blew away most preseason expectations by winning 45 games — but now need to beat the game's best shooter ever in Stephen Curry to avoid becoming the first team to go 0-2 at home in a play-in tournament.
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