Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors bowed out of the 2025-2026 NBA season after falling to the Phoenix Suns in the play-in tournament.
Despite the loss, Curry still had encouraging words for Suns star Jalen Green, who erupted for 36 points on eight 3-point makes to lead the Suns past the Warriors and book the No. 8 spot in the playoffs.
According to Green, Curry told him to take care of business against the top-seeded OKC Thunder in their first-round clash.
“He was just telling me, ‘go handle business in OKC’,” Green told reporters after the game.
Green looked up to Curry as one of his mentors, having connected with the team since he was just 16 years old. Now at 24 years old, Green denied Curry another playoff appearance.
“He’s just telling me, ‘go handle business in OKC.’
Continued: “I was maybe 16 years old and he was having me come out to Oakland to work out with him. He’s kind of been
“I was maybe 16 years old, and he was having me come out to Oakland to work out with him. He’s kind of been somewhat of a mentor,” Green said. “I was able to get his number, reach out through these years. He’s been kind of something like a mentor. Playing against him is always great. One of the greatest shooters, greatest players of all time.”
Curry had numerous playoff encounters with the OKC franchise throughout his NBA career, most notably in 2016, when he led the Warriors to a 3-1 series comeback in the Western Conference Finals.
Last year, Curry and Green faced off in Round 1 of the playoffs, back when the current Suns star was still with the Houston Rockets. Curry steered the Warriors to the playoff series win against the relatively young Rockets crew. Houston then shipped Green along with Dillon Brooks to the Suns for Kevin Durant.
The Suns will be facing a well-rested Thunder squad, which will enjoy a seven-day lead time before the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Suns only have two days to prepare for the playoff opener.
Game 1 will be in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Jalen Green Reflects on Losing to the Warriors Last Year
GettyJalen Green succumbs to Steph Curry in the former’s first NBA playoff series.
Jalen Green played his first playoff series against the Warriors last year. It did not favor Green, who struggled for most of the series en route to being let go by the Rockets.
Green remembered all that and used it as fuel for his superb performance against the Warriors in the do-or-die play-in game.
“I remember what they (Golden State) did last year. It’s not going to leave, my first playoff series,” Green said. “Like I said before, there’s a lesson in every situation. It’s never failure.”
Green took the offensive cudgels from Devin Booker as the Warriors’ defense zeroed in on the latter throughout the game. Meanwhile, Green hunted mismatches and drilled tough triples to lift the squad to victory.
Before his 36-point explosion against the Warriors, Green also had an impressive showing in their loss against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first play-in game, where he notched 35 points.
Jalen Green Set to Face Tough Matchups in OKC
GettyPhoenix Suns star Jalen Green will face tough matchups against OKC.
Unlike the Trail Blazers and the Warriors, the Thunder has numerous perimeter players who can contain Green and Booker simultaneously.
OKC has the likes of Lu Dort, season’s steals leader Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso on top of rim protectors Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. They also have two-way dynamo Jalen Williams, who can also be a threat on the offensive end.
History is also in favor of OKC as the team swept its last two first-round series in the playoffs.
The Thunder finished the regular season with the best record in the league but lost to the Suns twice.
Steph Curry Sends Strong Encouragement to Phoenix’s Star Ahead of Playoffs Clash vs. OKC