Darren & Vic's Takes: NBA Play-In Edition

Published: Monday, April 20, 2026

by Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa

Another week means another edition of Darren and Vic’s Takes, and this time, postseason action is here. Darren and Vic are back to recap the hard-fought Play-In games that took place in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Darren: Western Conference Play-In

Post- Season action is back in the NBA, the best time of the year in my opinion, other than March Madness! However, if I had to be honest, I never was a big fan of the Play-In tournament. I prefer the old format where the top eight teams made the playoffs, and everyone else tried again next year. But this year I have to admit the Play-In did not disappoint.

A battle in the valley for the seventh seed in the Western Conference ended with the Blazers pulling out a 114-110 victory over the Suns, punching their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Doing it without star point guard Damian Lillard made the win even more impressive.

The Suns came out hot in the first quarter of the game, but the Blazers stormed back to keep the game close at 34-33. From there, Portland controlled the game all the way through the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Suns came out with a more renewed sense of urgency, when most might have thought Portland had the win secured. But the Blazers put their foot on the gas, and Deni Avdija put on an absolute master class in the final minute.

With 16 seconds left and the score at 110-109, Avdija attacked the basket, converted the and one, and gave Portland a 112-110 lead.

A missed three from Jalen Green led to a Blazers layup, sealing the game. Avdija finished with an astounding 40 points. The Blazers were in the Playoffs set to face off against the San Antonio Spurs, while the Suns dropped into a fight for the eighth seed and face the winner of the Warriors and Clippers game.

In the second game, Clippers versus Warriors, not much really needs to be said other than at 38 years old, Stephen Curry is still Stephen Curry. The Clippers held momentum all game long, but with 50 seconds left in the fourth, we were reminded why Curry remains the best shooter in basketball.

With the score tied at 117-117, Curry threw a behind the back pass to Draymond Green, got it right back and hit a ridiculous no-look three to take the lead at 120-117. The Warriors extended the lead as Brandin Podziemski converted an and-one, and the Clippers were forced to foul late.

Golden State closed it out 126-121. The Clippers were eliminated, and the Warriors lived to see another day facing off against the Suns for the eighth seed.

In the final Play-In Game with the Warriors and Suns, fans saw some stints where the Warriors had life. However, it was clear that the Suns were in control. Jalen Green simply could not be stopped, finishing with 36 points, including eight made three pointers.

The Warriors were eliminated, and the Suns advanced to face the defending NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.

What stood out was what Steve Kerr said to both Stephen Curry and Draymond Green afterward. It made fans wonder whether we are witnessing the end of an era for the Warriors and possibly the end of Kerr’s coaching run after such a historic success.

Victor: Eastern Conference Play-In

This was the seventh annual play-in tournament for the NBA, and the ninth seed Charlotte Hornets and tenth seed Miami Heat battled last Tuesday. This of course was an opportunity to play for the eighth seed. This might have actually ended up being the most exciting game of the tournament.

Ever since late January, the Hornets have had the second best offense in the league, and fans finally were feeling excited about ending their ten-year playoff drought. This was a close game all throughout, and six players ended up scoring 23 or more.

There was an unfortunate instance where Bam Adebayo was going for the ball, and LaMelo Ball ended up on the ground, and many accused him of intentionally tripping Adebayo. Ball was permitted to remain in the game and avoided suspension, but Adebayo was ruled out the rest of the way, with a foot injury as a result.

This game went down to the wire with Miami taking a 114-111 lead with 12.9 seconds left.

Coby White came up huge in the clutch all game, and he tied the game with a three and about ten seconds to go, taking it to overtime. It remained close in OT, but Tyler Herro was fouled on a three-point attempt with 8.7 seconds left.

Herro hit all three free throws to take a one point lead. However, LaMelo Ball was able to drive from coast to coast in transition to take the lead with the lead and win the game with a 127-126 score. Ball finished the night with 30 points, and 10 rebounds. Mile Bridges added 28 points and Coby White finished with 19 off the bench.

The Hornets were then waiting patiently on Wednesday, to scout their opponent for Friday as the 76ers took on the Magic for the seventh seed game. To say the least, even without Joel Embiid playing, the Magic were disappointing.

This was a nightmare game for Paolo Banchero, who ended the season on an inefficient stretch. He finished the game with 18 points on 7-22 shooting, including 0-5 from three. The Sixers pulled the victory in this one, winning 109-97, and earning the seventh seed to play the second seed Boston Celtics.

This led to the final game in the East, with the Magic and Hornets battling on Friday to see who would earn the eighth seed. This game was not even close, and the Hornets trailed the entire game with Orlando holding a big lead for a majority of it.

The script flipped for the Magic compared to their game against Philadelphia, as Orlando put much of their inefficiency woes to rest. They ended the game shooting an impressive 50% from the field, (compared to 34% from the field for Charlotte).

Many spectators claimed the Hornets looked “out of it” from the start, and they never really made a legitimate comeback. The Magic won this one 121-90, as they earned a first round matchup with the Pistons starting Sunday.

Darren and Vic will be back to cover the first round soon!

Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu, victor.lisboa@student.shu.edu 

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