Warriors Western Conference standings update, March 21
Where the Warriors sit in the standings after a busy week.
It was a chaotic week for the Golden State Warriors. They played three games, with varying and confusing results. Their easiest game of the week came on Monday, when they hosted a Denver Nuggets team that was without Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and Christian Braun; they lost that game, and it wasn’t competitive. Their hardest game of the week came on Tuesday, when they faced a healthy Milwaukee Bucks team while resting Steph Curry and playing a back-to-back; they won that game by double digits. And they wrapped it up on Thursday, squeaking past a very game but bad Toronto Raptors squad, and losing Steph Curry to a pelvic contusion in the process.
Thanks to some help around them, that 2-1 week helped the Warriors gain a little bit of separation from the play-in tournament, but they still have to watch their back.
This week we say goodbye to the Houston Rockets, who are four games ahead of the Dubs with 12 to play. It’s still possible that Golden State catches Houston, but that’s not worth focusing on until it gets a little bit closer. So here’s what happened last week for the teams that the Warriors — still sitting in the sixth seed — are chasing and holding off, as well as a look ahead for all of them.
No. 8 — Minnesota Timberwolves (40-31)
The Warriors got some unexpected help from the Timberwolves this week. Minnesota began the week breathing down Golden State’s neck: they were no games behind the Warriors, and had won eight consecutive games. It felt like the Dubs had no room to slip up, as they did on Monday, or they’d tumble back to the play-in seeding.
Instead, the Wolves tumbled harder. They matched the Warriors energy on Monday, losing a home game against an Indiana Pacers team that was playing without Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. They followed it up on Wednesday by losing, at home, to the 19-win New Orleans Pelicans. A bad week for the Wolves is a good week for the Warriors: Minnesota is now a game-and-a-half back, and the Warriors have clinched the tiebreaker. It’s a short and easy weekend for Minny, though, with only a revenge game on the slate.
Next games up: Friday vs. the Pelicans
No. 7 — LA Clippers (39-30)
Once the Clippers fell out of the sixth seed, I assumed they were in the play-in tournament for good, as they were slumping hard. But they’ve rebounded nicely, and their lone game this week was a mighty impressive one, as they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday by 13 points. That gave the Clippers a four-game winning streak, and seven wins in their last eight games, while also keeping them just a game-and-a-half behind the Warriors (and LA has, critically, clinched that tiebreaker).
It’s a brutal weekend ahead for the Clippers, though, and Warriors fans will be conflicted about who to root for tonight, as the teams on either side of them in the standings battle.
Next games up: Friday vs. the Grizzlies, Sunday vs. the Thunder
No. 5 — Memphis Grizzlies (43-27)
The Grizzlies are still in decent shape, holding a two-game lead over the Warriors with 12 games remaining. But if this week is any indication, they might not be able to hold that lead, as they played some rough basketball: on Monday they kicked off a five-game road trip by losing to the Sacramento Kings by 10 points, and on Wednesday they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers by 16. They face the Warriors on April 1, in a game that not only gives Golden State a chance to gain a game in the standings, but also win the tiebreaker. This race could come down to the finish line.
Next games up: Friday at the Clippers
No. 4 — Los Angeles Lakers (43-26)
Catching the Lakers remains a tall task for the Warriors. They trail their SoCal rivals by two-and-a-half games, and don’t have the tiebreaker. Worse yet, the injury-riddled Lakers found some rhythm this week, besting the San Antonio Spurs on Monday and the Nuggets on Wednesday, before losing to the Bucks on Thursday to snap their three-game winning streak. The health of LeBron James and Luka Dončić may be the determining factors in this race.
Next games up: Saturday vs. the Bulls
No. 3 — Denver Nuggets (44-26)
Things would have looked better for the Warriors if they beat the depleted Nuggets on Monday, but what can you do (other than, you know, play better and win). There’s still a chance of catching the Nuggets, given the three games that separate the teams, and the fact that Denver has played .500 basketball over their last 14 games. But the Nuggets also own the tiebreaker after Monday’s win, so the Dubs need a bit of a collapse from Denver (not impossible, as Jokić is dealing with some ailments). The Nuggets spent the week doing what they’ve done for the last month: alternating wins and losses. After surprisingly beating the Warriors on Monday, they fell to the Lakers on Wednesday. Still, they control their own destiny ... at least relative to the Warriors.
Next games up: Friday at the Blazers, Sunday at the Rockets
As for the Warriors, they have just one game this weekend, as they kick of a crucial six-game road trip by paying a visit to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. They’ll still be in the sixth seed when we reconvene for this column on Monday, unless they lose against the Hawks while the Clippers win their two tough games.
Let’s hope that doesn’t happen!
Here are the full standings in the West: