Even with their recent losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors still stand in sole possession of the sixth-seed in the Western Conference with just 10 games remaining in the regular season.
After spending a large part of their season mired in mediocrity, Golden State's trade for Jimmy Butler at the deadline has revitalized them on both ends of the floor. The Warriors are 16-5 in their last 21 games, and with the tight race in the West, are still an outside chance to even reach home-court advantage for the first-round of the playoffs.
Unsurprisingly, a chunk of Golden State's upcoming schedule will serve as a sort of playoff preview, with matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets coming next week.
With how Golden State have been playing prior to their last two games, they must like their odds against any of these teams. Yet if the season were to end today, the Warriors would be in line for a tough matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
Western Conference NBA Playoff bracket as of today:
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (8)
Houston Rockets (2) vs. L.A. Clippers (7)
Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Golden State Warriors (6)
Memphis Grizzlies (4) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (5)
Led by superstar center and 3x MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have been putting up another solid season and currently sit third in the Western Conference.
While they are only two games behind the Houston Rockets for the second seed, it is more likely that a team like the Los Angeles Lakers -- who now have LeBron James back -- make a run at the highest available seed behind the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, if the Nuggets were to hold their position, the Warriors could be in trouble in the first-round. They are 0-2 against the Nuggets this season, having lost both games by a combined margin of 13 points.
Even in their recent matchup, when the Nuggets were missing Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Christian Braun, Golden State came out flat on defense and allowed a ridiculous 38 points to forward Aaron Gordon.
While their solid perimeter defense could limit the effectiveness of the streaky Murray and Michael Porter Jr., their lack of a true defensive center could prevent them from containing Jokic -- a death spell for the Warriors already in recent years. Denver has now won nine games in a row against Golden State, with the latter's last victory coming in the first-round of the 2022 playoffs.
While the Nuggets only hold the 10th best net rating in the league this season, their pace has improved since the All-Star Break, and they could certainly threaten a team like the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
However, Golden State has the infamous playoff intensity of Butler, the elite shooting of Stephen Curry, and the defensive acumen of Draymond Green in its repertoire, all of which could pose a problem to any of its potential matchups.
Assuming they do not drop below the seventh-seed, the Warriors will not have to play the Thunder in the first-round. Against the Grizzlies, Lakers and Rockets, Golden State is only 4-6 in the regular season, but all of these came prior to the team's acquisition of Butler.
With the 6x All-Star now on the squad, the Warriors could certainly handle the Grizzlies' 19th-ranked defense while using their own defensive intensity to slow down guards Ja Morant and Desmond Bane.
The Lakers, despite their inspired play since acquiring Luka Doncic, still lack a true quality center. This could be exploited by Golden State's interior forces such as Butler and the recently returned Jonathan Kuminga.
Moreover, the Rockets lack the playoff experience of a team with a veteran core like the Warriors, and their equal-opportunity offensive structure could fall apart in an intense playoff setting.
While the Warriors could still end up playing any of these teams in the first-round, their current matchup is perhaps the least favorable and should be a concern as the regular season winds down.