The Golden State Warriors have officially paid the price for disappointing back-to-back losses, falling to the Western Conference's seventh-seed with just 10 games remaining in the regular season.
The Warriors had an opportunity to create separation between themselves and the two teams below them in the standings, yet failed to take advantage in two losses against teams sitting below a .500 record.
Playing without superstar guard Stephen Curry, Golden State fell behind early in Atlanta on Saturday and never recovered, before putting on a dismal offensive display in Jimmy Butler's return to Miami on Tuesday.
The Clippers have surpassed the Warriors in the standings
Having held outright hold of the sixth-seed since March 3, the Warriors have now fallen to seventh after the L.A. Clippers got a 126-113 road win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
James Harden controlled proceedings with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Kawhi Leonard added 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as L.A outscored the hosts 106-80 over the final three-quarters after the Knicks took an early double-digit lead.
The victory moves the Clippers into a tie with the Warriors at a 41-31 record, but they surpass their pacific rival in the standings thanks to holding the season tie-breaker after three-straight wins earlier in the season.
There is a couple of reasons to be optimism though from a Golden State perspective. They can add a loss to the Clippers column when the two teams meet for what could be a crucial regular season-ending game on April 13, but would have to break a six-game losing streak against them in order to do so.
The Warriors are also expected to regain Curry for Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the 2x MVP having suffered a pelvic contusion during the third-quarter of last Thursday's win over the Toronto Raptors.
Golden State will also have to worry about the Minnesota Timberwolves who remain just half a game back in the eighth-seed. The Timberwolves have the easiest remaining schedule of Western Conference teams, opening up the legitimate possibility that the Warriors finish eighth and have to go through the Play-In Tournament.
The Play-In Tournament hasn't been a happy hunting ground for the Warriors who lost back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies to be eliminated in 2021, while being blown out in the initial 9 vs. 10 game against the Sacramento Kings last year.
Finishing eighth would also provide the unenviable challenge of facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first-round as they sit a staggering 13 games clear of the second-seed Houston Rockets in the standings.