There are two spots remaining in the NBA Playoffs bracket to be decided Friday night, as the play-in tournament comes to a close.
The respective top seeds of each conference, the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder, await their first round opponents, as tonight’s slate opens with the Orlando Magic hosting the Charlotte Hornets.
Orlando has come up flat in the two biggest games of its season.
In the final game of the regular season, the Magic lost to a Boston Celtics team sitting their starters in a game that would’ve sealed the No. 7 heading into the play-in, which would have resulted in them hosting the Philadelphia 76ers instead of going on the road.
They then got a major break in playing the 76ers without MVP center Joel Embiid, but still fell short, resulting in a do-or-die situation against the Hornets, who escaped an overtime thriller with the Miami Heat to keep their season alive.
In the West, the Golden State Warriors shocked the Los Angeles Clippers, and are now just one game from making the playoffs despite finishing several games under .500.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns have had a tremendous season, defying expectations by finishing 17 games over their preseason win total.
They will look to avoid disaster against the Warriors on Friday night, as a loss would make the Suns the first seventh seed to ever miss the playoffs since the inception of the play-in tournament.
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First Pick: Charlotte Hornets -3 over Orlando Magic
Rundown: It speaks volumes to the disappointment of the Magic’s close to the season that the fledgling Hornets are road favorites in a postseason do-or-die matchup.
However, Charlotte is flatly the better team in this matchup.
The Hornets rank second in the NBA in net rating since the All-Star break, and demonstrated their depth against the Heat on Tuesday.
LaMelo Ball, despite his overtime game-winner, shot 2-for-16 from three, which is good for the most missed threes in a game in NBA postseason history. Charlotte’s Rookie of the Year hopeful Kon Knueppel was non-existent in the Hornets’ biggest game of the year, and was benched down the stretch by head coach Charles Lee.
Despite the odds, Charlotte pulled out the win, which is something Orlando has seemed incapable of heading into Friday.
Orlando’s recent stretch has almost guaranteed significant offseason changes to its core, and its disappointing season should come to a close against the red-hot Hornets.
Second Pick: Phoenix Suns -3 over Golden State Warriors
Darwin Walker - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) battles for position with Phoenix Suns guard Dillon Brooks (3) during an NBA game on April 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
Rundown: We saw shades of the dynastic Warriors on Wednesday, with Steph Curry hitting clutch three after clutch three down the stretch and Draymond Green making key defensive stops on Kawhi Leonard to seal the victory.
However, it is hard for the Warriors turning back the clock to erase the fact that the Suns finished eight games ahead of them in the regular season.
Phoenix has boasted the ninth ranked defense in the NBA this season, and its offense has been powered by Devin Booker, whose 26 points and six assists per game have helped the Suns overcome their lack of offensive creators.
While the Warriors were perfectly equipped to guard the Clippers by putting Green on Leonard, their answer in guarding Booker is much less obvious.
The slight point spread despite the massive difference in these teams’ regular seasons creates a massive opportunity to back Phoenix on Friday night.