Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors watches from the bench.
Getty
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors watches from the bench.
The Golden State Warriors are going to the play-in tournament. That much is now official.
With the Memphis Grizzlies eliminated from contention, Golden State has locked up a top-10 seed in the Western Conference. The postseason opportunity is secured. What it looks like depends on what happens over the next nine games.
What the Play-In Spot Means
Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
GettySteve Kerr, Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors are currently 35-38 and sitting 1.5 games behind the ninth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers. The distinction between where they finish matters considerably.
Landing seventh or eighth earns two chances to advance to the playoffs. Finishing ninth or tenth means a single win-or-go-home scenario with no margin for error. The Warriors know which side of that line they want to be on, and the next nine games will determine whether they get there.
Wednesday’s 109-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center kept them in the hunt. It was not a clean performance. Twenty-six turnovers against one of the league’s worst defenses, a fourth-quarter comeback required to close it out. But Gui Santos delivered a career-high 31 points, Brandin Podziemski scored 22 and finished plus-19, and Gary Payton II shot 5-of-5 from the field without a single turnover. They found a way.
The Season This Team Has Navigated
Jimmy Butler, Warriors
GettyJimmy Butler of the Golden State Warriors.
Getting to this point has required something from everyone on the roster. Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in early January. Moses Moody tore his patellar tendon on Monday night in Dallas. Stephen Curry has missed 23 consecutive games with a persistent right knee issue and has not yet been cleared to scrimmage.
The Warriors have lost 16 of their past 23 games through all of it. They have leaned on depth players, asked role players to carry heavier loads, and found ways to keep winning just enough to stay relevant.
Draymond Green addressed the mentality required to keep going earlier this week. “You just can’t be the guy that quit when it gets tough,” Green said. “When it goes a little left, you can’t jump off the train, you can’t walk around and pout, you can’t throw in the towel.”
They have not thrown in the towel. The play-in spot proves it.
Anthony Slater
Steph Curry is still yet to scrimmage, per Warriors. Update on him coming later in the week.
What Comes Next for the Warriors
The focus now shifts entirely to positioning. Nine games remain. The Warriors need to climb if they want to avoid the tougher path through the bracket, and a Curry return would change the ceiling of what is possible in those final nine games considerably.
Steve Kerr has been clear on that front. Curry plays when he is healthy, and not before. Another update on his status is expected later this week.
Meanwhile, the roster that has carried Golden State to this point will keep grinding. The play-in is locked. The seed is not.
Dalton Johnson
Steve Kerr: “Steph will play when he’s healthy. It’s as simple as that.”
Final Word for the Warriors
Jimmy Butler. Moses Moody. Stephen Curry. The injury list has been relentless.
Yet here they are. Play-in tournament bound with nine games left to climb the standings. The Warriors have been through too much this season to settle for the hardest possible path from here.
The spot is secure. Now they go get a better one.