(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
The end of the 2023-24 NBA season is finally here and the Golden State Warriors find themselves with an outside shot to move up the Western Conference standings.
The Warriors appeared set to avoid the one-and-done matchup of the Play-In Tournament when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, but they turned around and dropped a crucial game to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Now, Golden State finds itself in tenth behind the No. 9 seed Sacramento Kings, who also lost a pivotal game to the Phoenix Suns.
The Warriors would need to beat the Utah Jazz in the finale plus a Lakers and Kings loss to the Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively, to move back up to eighth.
However, it appears that head coach Steve Kerr may have given up on the possibility of moving up as he announced that Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will be held out, via Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
“Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are out today. Jonathan Kuminga’s status will be determined after he warms up,” Andrews reported.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are out today. Jonathan Kuminga’s status will be determined after he warms up.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) April 14, 2024
Curry and Green not playing seems to signal that Golden State’s accepted its spot in the Play-In Tournament, though Utah is no longer playing to win.
The Warriors could easily win the game against the Jazz without their two stars, but fans likely won’t appreciate the optics of sitting them when the possibility of moving up remains.
However, in Kerr’s defense, it’s hard to imagine the Kings losing to a Trail Blazers team that has been playing for ping pong balls the entire year.
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