The Golden State Warriors were on a roll during the week leading up to their matchup with the Boston Celtics back on March 3rd. They had won 13 out of 16 games, and were rising in the Western Conference, while being talked about as one of the teams that others wouldn’t want to see in the postseason. But ever since the 52-point embarrassment against the NBA’s best team, Stephen Curry and company haven’t quite been the same.
Warriors Lose To Timberwolves, Now 4-6 In Last 10
🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/quQfZ2qDoA
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 25, 2024
They were a middling .500 team through most of the first half of the schedule. The Warriors dealt with injuries and suspensions during the first 50+ games, which combined with on-court struggles from typically reliable role players saw them drop all the way to 12th place in the West with a 22-25 record. But the hot streak in late February brought them back into the 10th and final Play-In spot.
While the 10th spot is certainly not where a championship hopeful wants to be, it looked as though their hold on that spot was safe. But the surprising Houston Rockets have made an unlikely surge over the last two weeks, winning each of their last eight games to coincide with the Warriors losing 7 of their last 11 beginning with that tough game against Boston.
And after their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, Golden State is just one game up on Houston and in danger of falling out of the playoff picture altogether. They are just getting started on a tough road trip, one in which they’ll likely have to finish with a winning record in order to hold on to their Play-In position.
Golden State Will Hold Tie-Breaker Over Houston
“I don’t give a damn about the Rockets.”
– Draymond Green
(h/t @BradeauxNBA )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 25, 2024
It won’t be easy. The first two games will come on a tough back-to-back, in which they will play against the Heat and the Magic on Tuesday and Wednesday. They’ll finish up the trip with games against the Hornets and Spurs, which represent the games that they must capitalize on to keep themselves in the race.
Conversely, the Rockets will take on the Trail Blazers on Monday with a chance to push their winning streak to nine games. They will certainly the favored against lowly Portland, and will pull to within a half game of the Warriors if they are victorious.
The potential saving grace for Golden State is the fact that they hold the tiebreaker over Houston. The first element of breaking a tie is the head-to-head matchup, and the Warriors have won the first two meeting so far this season. Only one matchup between the two remains, so they’ll be keeping that edge throughout the rest of the season.
Warriors’ forward Draymond Green was asked if he is keeping an eye on Houston. “I don’t give a damn about the Rockets,” was his simple response.
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