As the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 to clinch the seventh-seed in the Western Conference playoffs, there were numerous bright spots for a roster that had lost three of their last five regular season games.
Although superstar guard Stephen Curry was relatively quiet in the first half, he made his presence felt when it counted, ultimately posting 37 points, eight rebounds and four assists even with the Grizzlies doing everything they could to limit his impact.
Similarly, the Warriors got their first glimpse of the clutch intensity of Jimmy Butler, who had his highest-scoring game on the team, posting 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Yet apart from Golden State's star duo, there were also a number of concerning signs in the team's performance. Most notably, their peripheral shooters -- Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield and Moses Moody -- went missing for most of the game offensively, signalling major trouble for the Warriors as they enter the gauntlet of the Western Conference playoffs.
Warriors need their shooters more than ever
Although the Warriors had one of their best offensive games in a while, scoring 67 points in the first half and finishing with 121 despite a dry third-quarter, much of their roster did not have a major offensive impact on the game.
Hield, who missed a game-tying 3-point attempt with seconds left against the Los Angeles Clippers, made zero of his three 3-point attempts, finishing with only two points in 12 minutes played. Throughout the night, the combination of Moody, Podziemski and Hield shot an abysmal 2-for-12 from beyond the arc -- a factor that heavily contributed to the team almost blowing a 20-point lead.
All three have been through recent shooting slumps, and all three are vital to the team's offensive dynamic. As the team enters their first round matchup with the Houston Rockets, scoring will be at a premium. With the combination of Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks and a host of other young, lengthy and tenacious players, the Rockets have had a top five defense in the NBA throughout this season.
The Rockets used their length and intensity in their last matchup with the Warriors, almost completely eliminating Curry's presence in holding the 2x MVP to only three points in what turned out to be a vital loss for the Warriors
In facing the experienced Golden State, it is almost certain that Houston will stick to this game-plan of guarding Curry as closely as possible, which should leave plenty of open shots for the supplementary offensive players.
However, if none of Hield, Podziemski and Moody are making those shots, Golden State's offense will sag dramatically, and the Rockets could have a chance of bouncing the Warriors in the first-round.