The NBA resumes on Tuesday after the NCAA Championship went the way of the Connecticut Huskies on Monday at NRG Stadium. As part of a 13-game slate that will further shape the final standings, the Golden State Warriors host the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could be a Play-In Tournament preview.
The defending champions remain sixth in the Western Conference, though they now need results to go their way to retain that position. Golden State are one of four teams with 38 losses, with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans one win behind but holding the tiebreak over the Warriors.
Still looking to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder will present as a major challenge for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
Analyzing the schedule at the start of the season, one could have expected this to be a battle between one team with an eye towards the postseason, and one with an eye towards the NBA draft lottery. Instead, this a matchup critical to both teams, with the 10th-seed, 38-41 Thunder attempting to stave off the Dallas Mavericks who sit one game behind.
The Warriors won the first two meetings between the teams this season, before OKC responded with a nine-point win on March 7 that snapped Golden State’s eight-game winning streak against them.
There are no surprises on the injury front for the hosts, with Andre Iguodala, Ryan Rollins and Andrew Wiggins remaining out. The latter is expected to be in attendance for the game though, marking his return to the team after being away for personal reasons since February 13. That in itself could provide a major emotional boost with the 28-year-old bound to feel and hear some love from the home crowd.
OKC will only be without Chet Holmgren and Kenrich Williams — the fact there are no players questionable or even probable for the matchup on either side is a sure fire indication of its importance in the season context.
In other games that influence Golden State’s standing, the Lakers visit the Jazz who are now without Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay and Walker Kessler, while the Pelicans host the Kings who have sewn up third in the conference. If the Warriors can take care of business over the final three games, they’re still in a solid position to secure a top six seed.