PHOENIX (AP) — Jalen Green was several feet behind the 3-point line as the shot clock wound down and didn't have many options, so the Phoenix guard simply squared up and let if fly.
In most cases, the third-quarter heave wouldn't have been a high-percentage shot.
On Friday night, pretty much everyone knew it was going in.
“It felt good all night,” Green said.
The 24-year-old Green scored 36 points to lead Phoenix to a 111-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA's play-in tournament. The Suns earned the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and they'll face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a road game Sunday in Game 1 of the first round.
Green shot 14 of 20 from the field against the Warriors, including 8 of 14 from 3-point range. The eight 3-pointers tied his career high.
“I thought he was incredibly efficient offensively,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “It's really hard to stay in front of him.”
It was a big moment for Green, who endured plenty of frustration during an injury-filled year that limited him to just 32 games in the regular season. Green and Dillon Brooks came to the Suns from the Rockets as part of the package that sent 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant to Houston.
Green missed the first half of the season with a hamstring injury and then finally returned, sometimes struggling to adjust to his new role playing with Booker and Brooks. He averaged just 17.8 points, the lowest total since his rookie season.
But the trio appears to be jelling at the right time. Booker had the assist on four of Green's 3-pointers on Friday.
“I'm very comfortable playing with Book,” Green said. “You kind of how to pick your poison, how you're going to guard it.”
The game was a little vindication for Green after he struggled against the Warriors in last year's playoffs when he was with the Rockets. He averaged just 13.3 points in the seven-game series, shooting 37% from the field.
Green was so good on Friday that Booker — a five-time All-Star — was more of a facilitator, finishing with 20 points and eight assists.
“He stepped up to the test,” Booker said. “The last playoffs might have stuck with him a little bit, so he's prepared himself for these moments and capitalized on them.”
Ott said Green's elite athleticism will be invaluable against Oklahoma City because of his ability to generate shots when it doesn't look like there is one. Green's 36 points came three nights after he scored 35 against the Trail Blazers in the first play-in game, which ended in a 114-110 loss.
“Both of these nights, he had it going offensively,” Ott said. “Those guys in playoff games, where the physicality ups, the court shrinks, the ability to give the ball to one guy and him create a shot is super helpful. We're finding those pockets.”
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Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) drives on Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks and guard Jalen Green (4) celebrate after defeating the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball play-in tournament game, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
U.S. President Donald Trump said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will remain and attacks will resume if no agreement is reached with Iran, after Tehran said it had fully reopened the strait to commercial vessels but threatened to close it again over the U.S. blockade.
Asked by a reporter Friday night what he will do if there’s no deal when a ceasefire with Iran expires next week, Trump said, “I don’t know. Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain. But maybe I won’t extend it, so you’ll have a blockade and unfortunately we’ll have to start dropping bombs again.”
However, Trump also told reporters accompanying him aboard Air Force One to Washington that, “I think it’s going to happen,” referring to a deal.
Questions lingered Saturday about how much freedom ships actually had to transit the waterway as Tehran maintained its grip on the strait and who got through, and threatened to close it again if the U.S. kept in place its blockade of Iranian ships and ports.
Iran’s Friday announcement about the opening of the crucial body of water, through which 20% of the world’s oil is shipped, came as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.
Here is the latest:
Iran’s Defense Ministry spokesperson said the Strait of Hormuz is only open during a ceasefire and conditionally, two Iranian semiofficial news agencies reported.
Brig. Gen. Reza Talaei-Nik said “military vessels and those linked to hostile forces have no right” of transit, according to the ISNA and Mehr news agencies.
Field Marshal Asim Munir has concluded a visit to Tehran, where he met senior Iranian leaders in an effort to ease tensions between Iran and the United States, the Pakistani military said Saturday.
It said the visit reflects Pakistan’s commitment to promoting peace, stability and a negotiated settlement to regional conflicts.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accompanied Munir.
The delegation met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and held talks with Parliament Speaker Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior military officials.
Discussions focused on regional security, ongoing diplomatic efforts and steps to promote lasting peace.
Munir emphasized dialogue, de-escalation and resolving disputes through sustained engagement.
He also conveyed goodwill messages from Pakistan’s leadership and reaffirmed Islamabad’s desire to strengthen longstanding ties with Iran.
President Donald Trump flatly rejected the idea when a reporter asked about the prospect of restrictions or tolls managed by Iran on the Strait of Hormuz.
“Nope. No way. No. Nope,” Trump said. He said there can’t be tolls along with restrictions. “No, they’re not going to be tolls.”
Rescuers search for victims in the rubble of a destroyed building that was struck in Israeli airstrikes in the city of Tyre, south Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A local resident walks among debris inside a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Jibchit, southern Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
An Israeli soldier directs a military vehicle in northern Israel, on the border with Lebanon following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A boy plays with a toy gun on the sidelines of a state-organized rally supporting the supreme leader, marking National Girls' Day, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight aboard Air Force One, Friday, April 17, 2026, while in route to Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
