Golden State Warriors now predicted for eighth-seed after stunning turn of events

With so little between the teams and so much to play for, you can be forgiven for getting a little confused as the NBA reaches its regular season conclusion. For a team like the Golden State Warriors who need other results to go their way, the maths surrounding it all can becomes an even greater puzzle.

Locked into the tenth-seed in the Western Conference at a minimum, the Warriors significantly aided their hopes of rising up the standings with a 134-120 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

Despite still sitting tenth in the West, the Golden State Warriors have now been predicted to finish eighth after a stunning turn of events

While they're still tenth for now, Golden State hold destiny in their own hands when it comes to getting the ninth-seed. They're half a game behind the Lakers but hold the season series, meaning they'll guarantee themselves the ninth-seed if they win their remaining three games.

However, the Warriors could reach higher than that if other results go their way -- They certainly did on Tuesday with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns each recording losses. The eighth-seed Kings are one game ahead, with Golden State needing Sacramento to lose two of their last three to have a chance at the eighth-seed.

That always appeared the Warriors best path to getting two Play-In Tournament chances, yet the Suns' back-to-back home losses has all of a sudden opened another opportunity. If Phoenix lose their last three games, then Golden State can reach a top eight-seed regardless of what happens with Sacramento.

Fortunately for the Warriors, the remaining schedule actually lends itself to this being a realistic outcome. Golden State head to Portland before finishing at home against the Pelicans and Jazz, while the Suns head on the road to face the Clippers, Kings and Timberwolves.

PlayoffStatus.com has the Warriors as a 16% chance of finishing in the eighth-seed, yet that's exactly where Bleacher Report's Paul Kasabian has them in updated predictions following Tuesday's games.

"Meanwhile, the Warriors are flying high, winning eight of nine. They have a very manageable schedule, with games against at the Blazers, and home versus the Pels and the Jazz (losers of 13 straight). They can easily win all three. The pick is for them to do so and find themselves in the 7-8 game."

- Paul Kasabian

Kasabian has the Kings and Warriors each finishing on 47 wins (Sacramento hold the tie-break), while the Suns fall all the way to tenth in what would see them travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers in the first Play-In game.

Golden State's victory on Tuesday gave them their 44th of the season, tying last season's win number where they finished sixth in the conference before beating the Kings in the first-round of the playoffs.

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