NBA Official Website Predicts Play-in Tournament: Warriors Advance to First Round Against Thunder, Hornets Secure Last Spot in Eastern Conference

On April 17 Beijing time, the third day of the NBA play-in tournament will take place on April 18, determining the final eighth seeds in both conferences. The NBA official website previewed these two games, favoring the Hornets and Warriors to advance respectively.

Western Conference Play-in

Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns

Winner: Advances to the first round of the playoffs, facing the Oklahoma City Thunder

Loser: Completely eliminated from this season's playoffs

Regular season matchup record: Warriors 3 wins, 1 loss

Key Focus: Devin Booker's resurgence on the court

Last offseason, the Suns made a loyalty-focused team-building decision: trading away Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal,

fully committing to retaining Booker and offering him an early contract extension. This contract runs through the 2029–30 season, with a salary reaching $75 million in the final year.

The Suns have always hoped to get back on track; since 2024, they haven't won a playoff game, though this isn't solely Booker's issue.

Nevertheless, he performed poorly in the game against the Trail Blazers. He completely faltered in the crucial fourth quarter, being thoroughly suppressed by Avdija on both offense and defense.

Over the past two seasons, Booker's overall offensive efficiency has plummeted sharply, with his three-point shooting significantly declining.

As the Suns' heavily extended star, viewed as the sole core for the future, such a state raises serious concerns.

To solidify his leadership role and dispel external doubts, Booker must step up in this生死之战.

Key Matchup: Stephen Curry vs Dillon Brooks

This matchup is destined to be intense and冲突不断,加上Draymond Green's presence, who always enjoys verbal exchanges and confrontations with Brooks.

In past encounters, whenever Brooks defended closely, Curry consistently responded with strong three-pointers and easy scores.

Brooks is known for provoking opponents and actively creating对抗摩擦.

Aside from off-court trash talk, both have delivered impressive performances this season.

Brooks has had his best career season with the Suns, steadily improving his scoring while maintaining strong defense.

Curry has been plagued by injuries, missing many games, but exploded in Thursday's game against the Clippers:

Playing 36 minutes, he scored 35 points, hitting multiple clutch shots.

Whenever Curry plays, the Warriors always retain hope of winning. This焦点对决 is definitely worth watching.

Prediction: Warriors

This prediction might seem bold, as the Suns have exceeded expectations this season, consistently staying in the upper tier of the West, surprising everyone. However, in the final stretch of a long season, strong teams often reveal weaknesses.

Undeniably, the Warriors' ceiling and floor are entirely tied to Curry. In his prime, carrying the team solo was easy; but now, lacking a stable second star, the overall roster depth is insufficient. Still, Curry retains the ability to single-handedly take over games. It's foreseeable he'll deliver another顶级表现; and Draymond will continue his强硬发挥 from上一轮限制伦纳德, using tough defense and experience to influence this round's outcome.

Eastern Conference Play-in

Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic

Winner: Advances to the first round of the playoffs, facing the Detroit Pistons

Loser: Completely eliminated from this season's playoffs

Regular season matchup record: Hornets 3 wins, 1 loss

Key Focus: Paolo Banchero's反弹表现 on the court

For Banchero, this season hasn't been a year of进步,更像是原地停滞、不进反退. Expectations were high, but his performance fell short. He missed the All-Star selection, his shooting efficiency dropped significantly, and his overall form hasn't been optimal.

Just days ago against the 76ers, he was virtually invisible, making only 7 shots with 6 turnovers, showing no统治力 of a core star. Meanwhile, the Magic have placed all their team-building hopes on him.

He's公认的球队基石, with talent and实力完全配得上这份定位; the only issue now is playing games that match his value, especially in such生死战中.

As a highly mobile tall核心, Banchero has the ability to score high and dominate against the Hornets, becoming the关键球员 that decides the outcome—这正是魔术当下最迫切需要的.

Key Matchup: LaMelo Ball vs Jalen Suggs

The league fined Ball $35,000 for unnecessary and reckless physical contact against Bam Adebayo during Wednesday's Hornets win.

Typically, penalized players often bounce back全力作战, using performance to repay teammates.

Despite Ball's shortcomings like unstable shot selection and on-court decision errors, he's天生为大场面而生.

He never fears高压时刻,反而越是生死关头越敢于出手. After consecutive mistakes, he immediately proved this by hitting a绝杀 against the Heat.

Suggs has been known as a优质防守者, but this season his and the team's defensive stability has fluctuated.

In the previous round against Tyrese Maxey, he faced significant defensive pressure.

Now facing another aggressive scorer like Ball, his限制效果 will directly determine the Magic's chances of winning.

Prediction: Hornets advance

The Magic have had隐患不断 since the season start. Initially seen as a top-four contender in the East, they couldn't find a stable rhythm all season. The regular season finale was a耻辱落败: facing a depleted Celtics team毫无还手之力, the 82-game finale彻底暴露了球队的抗压短板.

The Hornets相反,自假期过后一路强势崛起,上一轮附加赛顶住压力拿下胜利,挺进本轮生死战.

The Hornets are now气势正盛, having beaten the Magic three times in four meetings this season, with a total净胜分 of 61 points; while the Magic士气低迷, likely heading into a动荡的休赛期, so the Hornets hold the upper hand this round.