Many fans/analysts had the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers as top six seeds in the Western Conference heading into the season, or at the very least as top eight teams likely to make the playoffs as they did last year.
Instead, the Warriors and Clippers will have to balance Play-In Tournament preparations in the final game of the regular season on Sunday with the fact they'll almost assurely meet again in an elimination game three days later.
Warriors forced into balancing act ahead of Play-In Tournament
Golden State have now been locked into the 10th-seed for a while, but their opponent for the 9 vs. 10 elimination game became clearer on Friday after the Clippers lost 116-97 to the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.
The Trail Blazers now just need to beat the lowly Sacramento Kings on Sunday to secure the eighth-seed in the standings, giving them the all important double chance to secure a playoff berth through the Play-In.
The Warriors won't want to show the Clippers too much on Sunday in the regular season finale, but they also need to get some important minutes to their veterans ahead of the following matchup three days later.
Stephen Curry has only played three games since his return from a knee injury, and the 2x MVP still hasn't played much at all with the recently acquired Kristaps Porzingis -- arguably Golden State's second-most important offensive player. Al Horford only returned to the rotation on Friday against the Kings, playing nearly 18 minutes off the bench after missing the previous 13 games with a calf injury.
Speaking following Friday's game, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed his veterans will likely play on Sunday, but it sounds like the minutes will be incredibly limited given the result doesn't matter.
"The game is probably not going to matter to the Clippers. It obviously doesn't matter to us in terms of positioning. We'll make sure that health is the number one priority, but rhythm comes after that," Kerr said.
Steve Kerr said Steph Curry’s ankle tweak isn’t a concern. He plans to play Curry on Sunday in Los Angeles because Curry wants to generate a better rhythm. But Kerr did acknowledge Warriors won’t want to show much to Clippers prior to elimination play-in game on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/1nAVK50z9i
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 11, 2026
Regular season finale couldn't be any different to 12 months ago
Rewind 12 months and the two teams met in very different circumstances. The result of the regular season finale meant everything to the Warriors and Clippers, with the winner booking their ticket to the playoffs as the sixth-seed in the West.
Despite 36 points from Curry and 30 from Jimmy Butler, the Clippers advanced with a thrilling 124-119 overtime victory at Chase Center. Golden State beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament and unlike the Clippers, won a first-round matchup before being eliminated in the conference semifinals.
Both teams look vastly different to 12 months ago, with the Clippers trading stars James Harden and Ivica Zubac prior to February's trade deadline, while the Warriors have lost Butler and Moses Moody to season-ending knee injuries.