The last two spots in the NBA playoffs will be determined Friday night. Over in the East, the Charlotte Hornets will take on the Orlando Magic for the No. 8 seed. Later, the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns will play for the final spot in the West.
For Hornets-Magic, LaMelo Ball remains the story. Ball was fined, but not suspended, after he appeared to trip Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo during Tuesday’s game. While Ball’s actions in that contest won’t play a role in Friday’s game, it will mark the first time he’s taken the court since the Adebayo trip — and apparent non-apology — making Ball the villain in Friday’s matchup.
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In the West, all eyes will be on whether Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr can continue to wind back the clock and turn in another strong performance. Curry was lights out in the team’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, dropping 35 points. Green was a force on defense late, preventing the Clippers from scoring points in the paint and shutting down Kawhi Leonard in the fourth quarter. Whether they can do it again, and then carry that momentum into the playoffs, remains a massive question.
Hornets vs. Magic start time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Warriors vs. Suns start time: 10 p.m. ET
TV channel, live stream: Amazon Prime Video
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for all of the action as the NBA play-in tournament concludes with Hornets-Magic and Warriors-Suns:
Live9 updatesFri, April 17, 2026 at 4:15 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Get those TVs and streaming devices set! The Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the winner securing the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, airing only on Amazon Prime Video.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT
Ben Fawkes
Charlotte is favored at the Orlando Magic on Friday, and if the Hornets win, they’ll be the No. 8 seed and face the Detroit Pistons in the first round. It would be the first time Charlotte has made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.
It would also mark another step on the path for one bettor to win $5 million.
A bettor at DraftKings placed a $12,500 futures wager on the Hornets to win the NBA title at 400-1 odds in early February, which would pay out $5 million if Charlotte wins the championship.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 3:45 PM PDT
Jason Fitz, Caroline Fenton
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 3:42 PM PDT
Ian Casselberry
Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabaté was listed as questionable on the injury report for tonight’s game. But it appears he’ll play after going through his usual warm-ups, according to the Charlotte Observer’s Rod Boone.
Diabaté averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 73 games during the regular season, his second with Charlotte.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 3:30 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
With two more games remaining in the NBA play-in tournament, the Oklahoma City Thunder remain odds favorites to win it all for a second consecutive season at +120 odds, with a 45.5% implied probability.
Here’s where the odds for the 2025-26 NBA Finals stand at BetMGM with two play-in games remaining:
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 3:15 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
The No. 8 seeds in the East and West are still up for grabs ahead of the final day of the play-in tournament, but the rest of the first-round matchups are set:
Eastern Conference
No. 5 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers: Game 1 on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET
No. 6 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 3 New York Knicks: Game 1 on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET
No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 2 Boston Celtics: Game 1 on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
No. 8 TBD vs. No. 1 Detroit Pistons: Game 1 on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET
Western Conference
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 3 Denver Nuggets: Game 1 Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET
No. 5 Houston Rockets vs. No. 4 LA Lakers: Game 1 on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET
No. 8 TBD vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder: Game 1 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET
No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 2 San Antonio Spurs: Game 1 on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDT
Caroline Fenton, Jason Fitz, Ben Fawkes
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 2:45 PM PDT
Tarohn Finley
Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was not suspended for a play that resulted in an injury to Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo, the league announced Wednesday.
Ball was instead fined $35,000 and assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for a play the league described as “unnecessary and reckless contact” that “created a significant injury risk.” Had he received such a foul during the game, he would have been ejected.
He was also fined another $25,000 for using profane language in a postgame television interview.
The NBA had reportedly started an investigation to determine whether Ball tripping Adebayo, which took place in the second quarter of the Hornets’ overtime play-in win over the Heat on Wednesday, merited an upgrade to a flagrant foul and additional punishment.
Fri, April 17, 2026 at 2:30 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Hours out from tipoff, the odds are favoring the Hornets and Suns to advance to the first round of the playoffs. Here’s a look at tonight’s play-in tournament odds, courtesy of BetMGM:
Hornets vs. Magic odds
Point spread: Hornets -3.5
Over/under: 218.5
Moneyline odds: Hornets -160, Magic +135
Warriors vs. Suns odds
Point spread: Suns -3.5
Over/under: 219.5
Moneyline odds: Suns -155, Warriors +125