Golden State Warriors fans shouldn’t get too ahead of themselves. Although the Dubs are red-hot, there is still a lot of season left, and the Western Conference standings are a bit too close for comfort.
That being said, a recent injury to one of the Warriors' decade-long rivals could be key to the Warriors' playoff seeding. Shams Charania announced that the Houston Rockets will be without their young star, Amen Thompson, for 10-14 days due to an ankle sprain. Although the Amen Thompson injury news doesn’t sound too severe, it may have come at a perfect time for the surging Warriors who are hoping to catch the Rockets in the NBA standings.
Amen Thompson's injury could give the Warriors an opportunity
The current Western Conference NBA playoff picture is as follows. The Thunder have all but secured the one-seed. The second through fifth seeds are all separated by one loss each, and the sixth through ninth seeds are separated by only two losses total. Things are tight, to say the least. However, thanks to Golden State's play since the Jimmy Butler trade, they have climbed their way into the sixth seed, which means if the season ended today, they wouldn’t have to fight for their lives in the dreaded Play-In Tournament.
The Rockets have been near the top of the standings all season long. Recently, they have slid a little down the standings, which makes Thompson’s injury all the more poorly timed. Houston is only 5-5 in their last ten games, having held the 19th-best offense and 8th-best defense during this time. They now will be without their top defender for over a week, which could result in them slipping further down the standings.
The Warriors will be hoping for just that. Right now, Golden State sit only three games behind the Rockets, and after the Cavaliers, they are the hottest team in basketball. They're 9-1 over their last 10 games, holding the league's 6th-ranked offense and 2nd-ranked defense over that time as well. A few weeks ago it was a goal just to make the playoffs for the Warriors, but now they can set their eyes on new heights.
If the Warriors stay hot and the Rockets can’t stay afloat without Thompson, the Western Conference playoff picture could get shaken up. Golden State are in fighting distance of grabbing home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Not only that, but getting into the four or five seed and playing the Grizzlies or Rockets in the first round, as opposed to the Lakers or Nuggets, would be huge for the Dubs. For now, the Warriors just need to beat who is in front of them, and hope that the Rockets have a tough week or two that could allow them to push up the standings.