{"id":709269,"date":"2026-04-12T22:42:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T22:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/709269\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T22:42:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T22:42:58","slug":"suns-waiting-on-two-teams-for-play-in-matchup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/709269\/","title":{"rendered":"Suns Waiting on Two Teams for Play-In Matchup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AThe Suns’ high-stakes play-in tournament matchup is rendered in a cubist, geometric style that captures the intensity and unpredictability of the win-or-go-home contest.Phoenix Today<\/p>\n

The Phoenix Suns have clinched the seventh seed in the Western Conference and will host a play-in tournament game on Tuesday. However, their opponent has not yet been finalized, as it will depend on the outcomes of the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers vs. Sacramento Kings games on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The Suns are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021, and the outcome of their play-in game will determine their first-round opponent. Phoenix has had success against both potential opponents – the Trail Blazers and Clippers – during the regular season, but each team presents unique challenges.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

The Suns won their season series against the Trail Blazers 2-1, with both of their wins coming by large margins. However, Portland did hand Phoenix a 77-point loss earlier in the season. The Suns and Clippers split their season series 2-2, with the games being mostly defensive battles. Regardless of the opponent, the Suns appear ready and confident, led by veteran Devin Booker.<\/p>\n

The play-in tournament game will take place on Tuesday, April 15, 2026.The Clippers vs. Warriors and Blazers vs. Kings games that will determine the Suns’ opponent will be played on Monday, April 14, 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Devin Booker<\/a><\/p>\n

A veteran guard for the Phoenix Suns who has significant playoff experience and is looking forward to the play-in tournament.<\/p>\n

Dillon Brooks<\/p>\n

A Suns forward who believes Phoenix will ultimately play the Portland Trail Blazers in the play-in game.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re big. They play well in the paint which we’ve struggled against but we’ll find a way. We’ll have to go after their mismatches and the different things they present that they’re weak at and exploit it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dillon Brooks, Suns Forward<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve been here before. I might have the most playoff experience on the team. I live for these moments. I’m looking forward to the play-in, this is what you train all summer for. This is what situations that I imagine myself in, in the summer. Not time to shy away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Devin Booker<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

If the Suns win their play-in tournament game on Tuesday, they will be secured into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and will face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. If they lose, they will play a second matchup against the winner of the 9\/10 seeded matchup for the eighth and final playoff spot.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

The Suns have defied preseason expectations and are now in position to make the playoffs for the first time in several years. Their play-in tournament game will be a crucial test, as they await the outcome of Monday’s games to determine their opponent. Veteran leadership from Devin Booker and the team’s regular-season success against both potential opponents have the Suns feeling confident heading into the high-stakes matchup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The Suns’ high-stakes play-in tournament matchup is rendered in a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":709270,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3784],"tags":[7,601,6,687,471,3967,1617],"class_list":{"0":"post-709269","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-portland-trail-blazers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-blazers","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-portland","12":"tag-portland-trail-blazers","13":"tag-portlandtrailblazers","14":"tag-trail-blazers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/709270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}