The Golden State Warriors visit the Phoenix Suns tonight at the Mortgage Matchup Center in a winner-take-all NBA Play-In finale to decide the eighth seed in the NBA’s Western Conference. The winner secures a first-round playoff date against the top-seed and defending NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The loser’s season ends tonight.
Golden State enters this matchup riding the momentum of a thrilling 126–121 comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Stephen Curry scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half to lead the Warriors comeback. Draymond Green locked down Kawhi Leonard in the second half and veteran Al Horford buried four, three-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the win in SoCal. Despite finishing the regular season with a 37–45 record, the Warriors’ championship pedigree was on full display as they erased a 13-point final-quarter deficit to keep their postseason hopes alive. There may be a minutes restriction on Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) but they can overcome that if Horford and Green turn back the clock as they did against the Clippers.
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Like the Clippers, the Suns also blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead in their initial play-in game. Because they are the seventh seed, however, they get a second opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. Defense has been at the foundation of the Suns’ success this season, but make no mistake, Devin Booker is the key to Phoenix advancing to the playoffs. They have few scoring options outside of the former Kentucky guard. Adding to the challenge is the fact the Suns are expected to be without Grayson Allen (hamstring) and may be without Mark Williams (foot). Their absences would be substantial.
Tonight’s game is the fifth meeting between these Pacific Division rivals this year, with the Warriors holding a 3–1 regular-season advantage.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Warriors vs. Suns
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Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
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Site: Mortgage Matchup Center
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Network/Streaming: Prime Video
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Game Odds: Warriors vs. Suns
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
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Moneyline: Golden State Warriors (+130), Phoenix Suns (-155)
This game opened Suns -3.5 with the Total set at 219.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: Warriors vs. Suns
Golden State Warriors
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Phoenix Suns
Injury Report: Warriors vs. Suns
Golden State Warriors
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Jimmy Butler (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
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Moses Moody (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
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Quinten Post (foot) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
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Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Phoenix Suns
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Mark Williams (foot) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
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Grayson Allen (hamstring) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Warriors vs. Suns
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The Suns are 25-17 at home this season
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The Warriors are 16-26 on the road this season
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The Suns are 46-34-3 ATS this season
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Golden State is 35-47-1 ATS this season
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The OVER has cashed in 50 of the Warriors’ 83 games this season (50-33)
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The OVER has cashed in 38 of the Suns’ 83 games this season (38-45)
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Not one Warrior pulled down more than 7 rebounds in the win over the Clippers
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Warriors and Suns’ game:
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Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Warriors on the Moneyline
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Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Warriors +3.5 ATS
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Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Total of 219.5
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
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Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
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Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
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Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
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Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
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