What’s at stake today
Win and they’re in.
The Golden State Warriors, like all 30 NBA teams, play their final regular season game today. And it’s all coming down to the wire as the Dubs seek to make their return to the playoffs. The Warriors, who enter the day with the sixth seed, currently have the exact same record as the Minnesota Timberwolves, as both teams are 48-33. They’re exactly one game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies, and exactly one game behind both the Denver Nuggets and their opponent today, the LA Clippers.
So as you can imagine, there are a million different ways that the standings can shake out. None of those teams can reach the top three seeds, though, and the Grizzlies are locked into the eighth spot, which means the Warriors, Wolves, Nuggets, and Clippers are battling for spots four through seven. Three of those teams will end up with guaranteed playoff spots, while the fourth will head to the play-in tournament.
While the standings can pan out in many ways, for the Warriors it’s remarkably simple: win and they’re in. Lose and they’re (probably) out. With a win over the Clippers today, the Warriors would be guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. However, they cannot move any higher than their current position as the sixth seed, due to the complex three-team tiebreakers. So with a win, they’ll be locked into the sixth seed, and will have a dramatic first-round showdown with LeBron James, Luka Dončić, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who have clinched the third seed in the West. That series would begin this weekend.
The Warriors could still end up with the sixth seed if they lose, but only if the Timberwolves also lose. And given that the Wolves are at home, with a whole lot to play for, hosting a very bad and tanking Utah Jazz team, that seems pretty improbable. But it’s at least a possibility, so it’s worth keeping an eye on that game, which, like the Warriors-Clippers game, tips off at 12:30 p.m. PT.
Assuming the Wolves handle business, though, the Warriors will slip to the seventh seed with a loss to the Clippers. In that scenario, the Warriors would host the Grizzlies on Tuesday night. If they win that game, they would be the seventh seed in the playoffs, and have a first-round matchup with the Houston Rockets. If they lose to the Grizzlies, they would host a second play-in game on Friday, against the winner of Wednesday’s game between the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks. With a win in that game, the Warriors would become the eighth seed, and face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. With a loss, their season would be over.
The Warriors are certainly in a decent spot, essentially getting to host three games to make the playoffs, while needing to win just one of them. But it sure would be nice if they could just beat LA today, and not only secure their spot early, but give themselves nearly a full week of rest before the playoffs begin.