The Golden State Warriors have made sure that the bad feelings from their earlier March 9-3 record are now just a distant memory. Over the past several days, they’ve rattled off three consecutive victories, with the latest being a 131-126 triumph over the Washington Wizards at the Chase Center on Friday evening.
This game was arguably one of the Warriors’ most complete performances in a long time on both offense and defense. However, since it came against the 17-56 Wizards, the win didn’t carry much weight. Golden State had six players scoring in double digits. Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists. He was joined by Gui Santos (27), Brandin Podziemski (22), Gary Payton II (15), Pat Spencer (13), and LJ Cryer (12), all reaching double figures.
The question now is how the win affects the Warriors’ playoff chances and what they should do next.
Golden State Warriors NBA Playoffs Picture: Updated Standing And What It Will Take to Reach the Eighth Seed
With the playoff race tightening in the West, the Warriors are fighting to stay in the postseason picture. Their record now sits at 36-38, just half a game behind ninth-place Portland, who suffered a 100-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Golden State is also two games behind the eighth-place LA Clippers.
The Warriors lost the tiebreakers to Portland but can tie the Clippers when they face off in the final meeting of the regular season. Golden State need to go at least 6-2 in their final eight games,or, at worst, 5-3, if they want a chance to clinch the eighth spot. It’s still very possible for them to get there, as the teams above them are prone to losing, and they need to capitalize on that. The best-case scenario would be to avoid the OKC Thunder in the first round and secure a more favorable matchup, where anything is possible in a tightly contested Western Conference.
Golden State Warriors Playoffs Picture: Remaining Schedule
The good news is that the Warriors can feel confident about their recent efforts. In past instances where consecutive wins were within reach, they weren’t able to take them because of mounting injuries. This time, all three victories were well-earned. However, the challenge now is to continue putting forth that same effort and avoid falling back into bad habits.
In the final eight games of the season, five will be at home, but six will be against higher-seeded opponents. Their stretch starts on Sunday with a road game against the Denver Nuggets, followed by a five-game home stand where they face the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and LA Lakers. The season then wraps up with two road games against the Kings again and the LA Clippers. Many of these matchups will be must-win situations, given how tight the standings are and the tiebreakers the Warriors still need to take care of.
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