What to watch for on Friday

Is today the biggest day of the season?

The 2023-24 NBA regular season ends on Sunday, and with no games on Saturday, that makes this the penultimate day of games. And it is, by far, the most important day of the season so far — and quite possibly more important than Sunday will be. It’s a huge day for the Golden State Warriors, and for many other teams jockey for postseason position.

And it’s a massive day in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament standings. Here’s what to watch for.

After the Warriors notched a 100-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, and the Sacramento Kings lost to the New Orleans Pelicans, there’s a three-way tie for the final three spots in the West: the Warriors, Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers all have matching 45-35 records.

And all three teams play tonight. You can start your basketball watching tonight at 5:00 p.m. PT, when the Lakers visit the Memphis Grizzlies. You’ll need NBA League Pass to watch that game, unless you’re in the LA or Memphis markets. Needless to say, root for the Grizzlies to pull off the upset!

At 7:00 p.m. PT the Dubs host the Pelicans in what should be a very difficult game, as NOLA has a lot to play for, too. And shortly after, at 7:30 p.m. PT, the Kings host the Phoenix Suns — who also have a ton to play for. That game is available on NBA TV. And you should be rooting for former Warrior Kevin Durant in that contest!

The Kings hold the tiebreaker over both the Warriors and Lakers, with Golden State having the tiebreaker over LA. So if the Warriors win, they’ll be guaranteed to stay in at least the No. 9 slot. But if they win and the Suns beat the Kings, the Dubs will move up to the No. 8 spot. The Warriors cannot move up to the No. 7 seed.

There’s a lot to watch, and a lot to root for tonight. If you’ve got multiple screens for watching basketball, tonight’s the night to use them! Go Warriors! Go Suns! Go Grizzlies!