Warriors Brace for Play-In as Steve Kerr Concedes Top-Six Hopes Are Gone
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The Golden State Warriors have accepted that their postseason route will run through the play-in tournament, head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged after Wednesday’s 120-99 defeat to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
“We’re going to be in the play-in. We know that,” Kerr said after his club’s sixth loss in seven games.
Standing Still in the West
The loss dropped Golden State to 33-36, 10th in the Western Conference and a half-game behind the Portland Trail Blazers. With all five teams below the Warriors at least nine games back and only 13 contests remaining, their position cannot fall farther. Climbing, however, appears unlikely: they sit 8.5 games behind the sixth-place Denver Nuggets and six games behind the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns.
Pursuit of Eighth Seed
Kerr has shifted focus to the No. 8 spot, which would give Golden State a home game and two chances to secure a playoff berth. The LA Clippers occupy eighth and have lost three straight, leaving the Warriors one game behind with a head-to-head matchup scheduled for the regular-season finale.
Curry’s Progress Offers Hope
Stephen Curry, sidelined for 19 games with a right knee injury, accompanied the team on the trip and increased his on-court activity in Boston, including light contact work. The club hopes he can scrimmage before the trip ends, potentially opening a path to return before March concludes. Golden State was 27-22 when Curry last played; they are 6-13 since.
Areas Kerr Wants Fixed
Kerr cited defensive lapses, third-quarter fouls and rebounding issues as primary concerns. Against Boston, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 56 points while the Warriors struggled to contain back-cuts and secure loose balls.
“If we’re prepared when Steph, Moses [Moody] and Al [Horford] are back, we can do some damage,” Kerr said. “But we can’t have game-plan mistakes.”
Forward Gui Santos summarized the team’s reality: “We know it doesn’t matter if we win 13 games or we lose 13 games. We’re going to be playing in the play-in.”
Source: ESPN
