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Still in the thick of the playoff chase, the Warriors will continue their four-game road trip on Friday when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies. The pivotal contest is set for a 5 p.m. tip-off and Warriors fans can catch the action on KNBR 1050 and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. This will mark Golden State’s first game on the new CSN, which beginning on Monday, took over for the former Fox Sports Net Bay Area.
The Warriors will head into Friday’s match-up just one game behind the Nuggets for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. With only seven games remaining in the regular season, it will be important for Golden State to not get any further behind in the playoff race. By virtue of Wednesday’s loss in Dallas, the Warriors will be on the short end of any conceivable tie-breaker with Denver and/or Dallas, meaning that Golden State will have to finish with a better record than one of those teams in order to make the postseason.
Should the Warriors make the playoffs, they will need some help from the rest of the league – Golden State has just one head-to-head match-up with the Nuggets remaining on its schedule – but the Warriors can certainly help themselves on Friday by posting a win in Memphis. After falling in the first two games of this critical road trip, the Warriors will certainly be hungry to get back into the win column. And considering the Warriors have won their last six meetings with the Grizzlies, perhaps this is just the type of game to get the team back on track.
The Grizzlies, however, are not expected to be a pushover. Although they have just 20 wins on the season, they have been playing better as of late with a dangerous offensive attack that netted 130 points in a victory against the Knicks on Wednesday.
While Memphis’ offensive game is flourishing, the Warriors are trying to re-capture theirs. After scoring more than 100 points in 37-straight games, Golden State has failed to reach triple digits in each of the first two games of this road trip, both of which saw the Warriors shoot 38 percent from the floor. If the Warriors can improve upon that mark and get some easy baskets along the way, then their chances of reversing their recent fortunes are that much better.
Following Friday’s contest in Memphis, the Warriors will close out their final extended road trip of the season with a nationally televised Sunday matinee in New Orleans. The Warriors will then return home to ORACLE Arena to host the Sacramento Kings  on Tuesday in a Hardwood Classics contest before taking on the Denver Nuggets in a match-up that could determine the Western Conference playoff picture.
EXTRA NOTES:
In recognition of Stephen Jackson’s outstanding efforts in the community and for his ongoing charitable work, the NBA has honored him with the Community Assist Award for March. ... For more stats and stories on the Warriors, check out the latest edition of the Warriors Weekly Notes ... Monta Ellis and Warriors President Robert Rowell teamed up with E-LOAN on Wednesday to participate in a Habitat for Humanity groundbreaking in Alameda on March 26 … On March 10, the Warriors partnered with Colliers International to host a Silence The Violence Rally. Read about the rally and view an accompanying video and photo gallery by clicking here
KIA BLOG SQUAD:
To read Bob Fitzgerald's thoughts on the remainder of the Warriors schedule, as well as what it's going to take for the team to make the playoffs, check out the latest entry of the Warriors Blog Squad, presented by KIA Motors.
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