3 Teams Warriors shouldn't want to see in Play-In Tournament

The Golden State Warriors are in a precarious position. Struggling to stay alive in the Western Conference standings, they are clinging to the 10th seed and doing everything they can to avoid dropping out of the postseason altogether.

Earning a top six bid in the West is almost completely out of the question for the Dubs now. A Golden State squad that was considered to have solid chance of getting home court in the first round of the playoffs in preseason is now in danger of becoming a lottery team.

As the Warriors inch toward what is looking like an inevitable Play-In berth, there are certainly some opponents that would be easier matchups for them than others. These are three teams Golden State will want to avoid.

1. Sacramento Kings

Of course, Warriors fans will not forget their team's matchup with the Kings in the first round of last year's playoffs any time soon. Entering the 2023 postseason, Golden State had still never lost a seven-game Western Conference playoff series with their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all healthy.

Defending their 2022 championship as the sixth seed last year, the Warriors had a lot on the line, and they quickly found themselves in a 2-0 hole in the first round against Sacramento. When it felt like everything could be unraveling, the Warriors won four of the next five games, taking the deciding Game 7 behind Curry's 50 points.

The Kings are more than likely going to finish in the top six and avoid a Play-In game. But if they fall into the seven-to-ten range, the Warriors should be hoping to avoid a rematch. Sacramento's youth and athleticism makes them a bad matchup for Golden State, and a single-elimination style game against a team like that should be of concern to the Warriors.