The Golden State Warriors have been destined to compete in the Play-In tournament for quite some time now. While a spot in the top10 is essentially secured — with none of the Kings, Jazz, Pelicans, Mavericks or Grizzlies expected to make a late push — seeding still matters.
The No. 7 and No. 8 spots would grant the Warriors two cracks at punching a playoff ticket. On the other side, finishing as the No. 9 or No. 10 seed would require Golden State to win two games to reach the postseason.
Following Monday night’s 130-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls, coupled with the Los Angeles Clippers’ three-month surge, the Warriors now sit ninth in the West — half a game behind LA and just 1.5 games ahead of the Blazers. To make matters worse, Golden State does not own the tiebreaker over either team, meaning the Warriors would fall behind if they finish with the same record as either.
Two costly slip-ups at a crucial point
After surviving a three-game gauntlet against the Clippers, Rockets and Thunder over five days, the Warriors appeared to be entering a softer stretch of their schedule.
A back-to-back against the Utah Jazz (20-45) and the Chicago Bulls (27-28) that was supposed to give Golden State confidence and momentum turned into an absolute disaster. Losing to two tanking teams is bad, but the way the Warriors lost exacerbated the issue.
They attempted a combined 106 threes over those two games — making just 36 (34%) — against a team that ranks 23rd in opponent paint points over the last ten games (Utah), and one that had just one legitimate center on its roster (Chicago).
The Warriors were up by eight with 1:31 left on the clock against the Bulls on Tuesday night before this succession of events unfolded: Matas Buzelis (career-high 41 points) hit a three, Al Horford fouled Buzelis on a three (made two, missed one), Horford turned it over, Miller (17 points, 11 rebounds) got a layup in transition, LJ Cryer knocked down two free-throws, Warriors elected to foul Smith up three (hit them both), Cryer went 1-of-2 at the line, Draymond fouled Smith (made both) and sent to the game to overtime.
The Warriors looked lifeless in overtime and shot just 2-of-11 from the floor, ultimately losing the game.
The second unit gave the Warriors life
One silver lining amid an otherwise deflating two-game stretch was the production Golden State’s bench provided, particularly from Gary Payton II, LJ Cryer, Pat Spencer and Will Richard.
Two-way player Cryer followed up his solid 11-point, five-rebound, two-assist performance in Utah on Monday with a career-high 17 points against the Bulls on Tuesday, though his missed free throw late in the fourth will likely linger in his mind. He also led the team in plus-minus during the back-to-back at +13.
Payton has averaged 11.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals since being plugged back into the rotation on Feb. 5 against the Phoenix Suns (12 games). He recorded his second double-double of the season Tuesday night against the Bulls, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals. On a more entertaining note, he's thrown down a couple of signature scratching-your-head dunks lately, including a poster on Cody Williams against the Jazz on Monday.
Pat Spencer needed a bounce-back game after struggling over his last five, and he delivered against Chicago. He finished with 17 points, three rebounds, six assists and was a team-best +18 in his 30 minutes.
While Will Richard, who missed the last four games with an ankle sprain, moved the needle in the fourth quarter. He scored five points on flawless shooting and came up with three steals in his ten minutes in the fourth. On top of that, he was part of the lineup that sparked a 24-4 fourth-quarter run, giving the Warriors an eight-point lead they would eventually fumble.
Some good news: Stephen Curry is set to be reevaluated on Wednesday after missing the last 15 games with a runner’s knee injury. The Warriors have gone 5-10 in his absence, with both their offense and defense falling apart at different points. The Chef could be back in the lineup as early as Friday night when the Warriors host the Minnesota Timberwolves.