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Golden State Warriors draw inches from the Western Conference Fifth-Seed

By Peter O'Keefe

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 02: Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors is surrounded by teammates after he made the game-winning shot at the buzzer of double overtime to beat the Atlanta Hawks at Chase Center on January 02, 2023 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 02: Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors is surrounded by teammates after he made the game-winning shot at the buzzer of double overtime to beat the Atlanta Hawks at Chase Center on January 02, 2023 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Coming off a 1-5 road-trip, sitting three games below .500 at 15-18, and with mounting injuries to key players, the Golden State Warriors’ season was in danger of spiralling out of control less than two weeks ago. But a return home has done wonders for the reigning champions, defying player unavailability to ride a five-game winning streak.

What’s more, the competitive and close nature of the Western Conference means the Warriors could soon be knocking on the door of a top four seed. With games against the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns to round out their homestand, and with a host of players hopeful of returning in the next fortnight, Golden State are well placed to attack the second-half of the NBA season.

Half a game separates the fifth-seed Sacramento Kings and the ninth-seed Golden State Warriors in a tightly run Western Conference through the first-half of the season.

Kevon Looney’s first career game-winning buzzer-beater put an end to the Warriors’ titanic struggle with the Atlanta Hawks on Monday — the team’s fourth-straight win in which they’ve won by single-digits.

Kevon Looney and his Golden State Warriors teammates celebrate after his game-winner against the Atlanta Hawks. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Kevon Looney and his Golden State Warriors teammates celebrate after his game-winner against the Atlanta Hawks. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Golden State’s 20-18 record is still only good for ninth in the conference, but they’re edging back closer to where many expected them to be at the start of the season. The fifth-seed Sacramento Kings have a 19-16 record, currently part of a logjam with the Los Angeles Clippers (21-18), the Portland Trail Blazers (19-17), along with the Suns and Warriors (20-18).

The West continues to be anyone’s for the taking, with Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets holding a half game lead over Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies. But even the top two teams are only 4.5 games ahead of the Warriors, and given their rising form, there must be optimism that Golden State could still procure home-court advantage come playoff time.

Their NBA Finals opponent, the Boston Celtics, provided the blueprint for a second-half surge last season. They were 20-21 at the halfway point of the season, before finishing 30-11 and riding the momentum all the way to the game’s biggest stage.

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It all goes to show what a major winning streak can do given the parity in the league, and after escaping from the jaws of defeat against the Hawks, the Warriors will be hoping their momentum continues for a long time to come.

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