The Golden State Warriors have endured an underwhelming season, largely due to injuries to key players, including Stephen Curry and a season-ending setback for Jimmy Butler. Despite these challenges, they have managed to secure a spot in the play-in tournament, with just two games remaining now before the postseason.
Golden State hosted the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, but Curry was ruled out for injury management as the team prioritized his health ahead of the play-in. The Warriors fell 119–103, with Nate Williams leading the team in scoring with 17 points.
They now travel to face the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. While their play-in position is already secured, head coach Steve Kerr is focused on getting his roster healthy and into rhythm.
“We’re in a position where we have a chance to get into the playoffs… Tomorrow and Sunday, maybe we get a couple games to develop a little rhythm and get a swing at it. We got some hope," Kerr said following the Lakers game.
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Kerr also confirmed that Curry will return against Sacramento after resting, and the team is optimistic that Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford will be available as well.
Curry recently came back from a 27-game absence due to a right knee injury and has made an immediate impact. In his return against the Houston Rockets, he scored 29 points in just 26 minutes, shooting 50% from three-point range and nearly leading a comeback in a narrow 117–116 loss. He followed that with 17 points against Sacramento, including a clutch game-tying three-pointer that helped secure a 110–105 win.
With Curry set to ramp up his minutes and Porzingis potentially returning, building chemistry between the two will be crucial. Notably, they have shared the floor for just eight minutes this season, making these final games an important opportunity to develop cohesion ahead of the postseason.
The Warriors will travel to face either the Portland Trail Blazers or the Los Angeles Clippers in their first play-in game. A win there would advance them to another matchup, likely against the loser of a game involving the Phoenix Suns, with the eighth seed in the Western Conference at stake.
If Golden State successfully navigates the play-in tournament, it would move on to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who enter the playoffs with the NBA’s best record, in what would certainly be a challenging first-round series. For the Warriors to have any realistic chance of upsetting the defending champions, Curry must be fully fit and on the court.
