The Western Conference playoff landscape is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Earlier this week, teams seeded 4th through 8th were all tied in losses. Adding to the chaos, the Golden State Warriors experienced a surprising upset on Wednesday night.
Entering Wednesday`s game tied in the loss column with several other teams, the Warriors were expected to easily defeat the San Antonio Spurs at home. However, despite holding a 14-point lead, Golden State was outscored by 15 points in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost 114-111. The defeat came courtesy of a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer by Harrison Barnes.
Ironically, this dramatic ending occurred on the same night as Luka Dončić`s highly anticipated return to Dallas as a Los Angeles Lakers player. Ultimately, it was Barnes, returning to his former team in Golden State, who delivered the most impactful moment of the night. While Dončić`s victory secured a playoff berth for the Lakers and moved them closer to the No. 3 seed in the West, the Warriors` loss carries significant potential consequences for their postseason hopes.
The Warriors now find themselves tied in losses with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both teams have 33 losses, positioning them to potentially face off in the Play-In Tournament as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. Golden State still has a game remaining against the Clippers, a team ahead of them in the standings, but the Clippers hold the tiebreaker due to winning the season series. For the Warriors to advance from the Play-In Tournament, they need teams currently above them to lose.
Fortunately for Golden State, the schedule could work in their favor. The Memphis Grizzlies are set to play Minnesota on Thursday and the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Golden State holds the tiebreaker over Memphis, so any Grizzlies loss in these games (or their final game against Dallas) would benefit the Warriors. However, if Memphis wins both, Minnesota would fall behind the Warriors in losses, and Denver would tie them. This means either the Grizzlies or Nuggets are likely to add another loss, keeping the potential for shifts in the standings alive.
Denver, despite recently firing their coach, won their Wednesday game against the Sacramento Kings. The Clippers also secured a win against the Houston Rockets, although Houston had already clinched the No. 2 seed and had little at stake. The Western Conference Play-In Tournament picture remains unclear, and the Warriors` recent loss has made their path more challenging.
The only definite seeds in the Western Conference as of Wednesday night are the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 1 and the Houston Rockets at No. 2. Everything else is still undecided, with the exception of the No. 3 seed, which the Lakers are close to securing. The Western Conference playoff race is expected to remain volatile until the end of the regular season on Sunday.
Jasper Hawthorne