The Golden State Warriors will look to retain their hold on the Western Conference's sixth-seed when they host the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center on Thursday.
Their hopes in that game have been helped by the absence of Kings center Domantas Sabonis who will miss his sixth-straight game due to a hamstring strain. The Warriors meanwhile will welcome back Jonathan Kuminga from a 31-game absence following a severe ankle sprain.
Yet it's an injury to a former Sacramento player that may prove even more crucial to Golden State's hopes over the remainder of the season, with the league hitting that point of the season where some teams take a greater eye towards their future.
The Warriors will play the Spurs two more times without De'Aaron Fox
As reported by ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday, San Antonio Spurs star guard De'Aaron Fox will miss the remainder of the season as he undergoes surgery for a finger issue that he's been dealing with all season.
The Spurs had been a threat to be a playoff nuisance up until just before the All-Star break, but Victor Wembanyama's unfortunate and scary deep vein thrombosis diagnosis put an end to that possibility. Now, Fox's season-ending surgery is an even more complete indication of San Antonio focusing on preparing for next season, having already lost eight of their past 11 games.
Fox played in 17 games for the Spurs after a blockbuster trade from the Kings just before the deadline, with the 27-year-old averaging 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
So given San Antonio are headed on a downward trajectory over the remainder of the season, what exact impact does this have on Golden State and their place in the standings? Well, the Warriors play the Spurs twice over their final nine games of the season -- matchups that all of a sudden look far easier without Wembanyama and now Fox.
San Antonio will host Golden State on March 30, before a return matchup at Chase Center on April 9 -- the third-last game of each team's respective season. Every game is incredibly important right now, with the Warriors not really gaining any separation from a couple teams below them despite winning 12 of their past 14 games.
Golden State enter Thursday's game just half a game ahead of the seventh-seed Minnesota Timberwolves, while the eight-seed Los Angeles Clippers are only 1.5 games behind.