Steve Kerr admits regret to rotation decision that may have cost Warriors

While they may have finished their regular season in positive fashion against the Utah Jazz, the Golden State Warriors were unable to climb the Western Conference standings on Sunday and now face the reality of needing to winning back-to-back road Play-In games in order to make the playoffs.

The Warriors had surged over the final weeks of the season to give themselves a legitimate shot at a top eight-seed, only to blow the opportunity in Friday's 114-109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center.

Golden State Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr has admitted regret to a rotation decision during Friday's home loss

While Golden State may come back to rue plenty should they fail to make the playoffs, the Pelicans loss could provide a lasting disappointment in the penultimate game of the season. They were outscored 38-15 over the final nine minutes of the first-half, completely flipping the momentum after the Warriors found themselves up by double-digits early on.

The second-quarter meltdown may been the most notable aspect from the defeat, but so too was the lack of minutes for rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis relative to his impact in the game.

Jackson-Davis recorded a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double and Golden State were a +12 in his 22 minutes, yet the 24-year-old played less than four minutes in the fourth-quarter as his team failed to complete a valiant comeback effort. Asked about Jackson-Davis' role before Sunday's game against the Jazz, Warrior head coach Steve Kerr admitted that he wished he'd played his starting center more during Friday's loss.

"That's one of those things where you just weigh your options and make your decisions in the game, but to be perfectly frank, I wish I'd played Trayce a little bit more."

- Steve Kerr

With the Warriors falling one win short of claiming the eighth-seed, Kerr's decision not to play Jackson-Davis more on Friday could prove costly with the franchise now facing an unenviable task.

Jackson-Davis had eight points but failed to grab a rebound in his 21 minutes against the Jazz, before being rested alongside other key players for the majority of the second-half as Golden State turned their attention towards the Play-In Tournament.

After being taken with the 57th overall pick in last year's draft, Jackson-Davis will now play a critical role in the Warriors' chances against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday as he prepares to battle All-Star center Domantas Sabonis.