Warriors Playoff Guide

none

Kalyb Champion

*Updated Through Games Played on April 12*

Winners of nine of their last 11 games, the Warriors have clinched a berth in the Play-In Tournament, but are in a battle with the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers for seeding entering Sunday's season finale.

Following the Warriors' loss the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, they still have a path to the 8th seed, which involves beating the Utah Jazz on Sunday and losses by the Sacramento Kings (vs. Blazers) and the Lakers (vs. Pelicans). If not, they will be relegated to the 9th vs. 10th seed Play-In game. The Dubs can host the 9th vs. 10th place game with a win and a loss for the Lakers or Kings.

Play-In Format7th place vs. 8th place (winner gets 7 seed, loser hosts winner of 9th vs. 10th)9th place vs. 10th place (winner faces loser of 7th vs. 8th for eighth seed, loser eliminated)Loser of 7th place vs. 8th place vs. winner of&nbsp;9th place vs. 10th place (winner gets 8th seed, loser eliminated

The benefit of being the 7th or 8th seed as opposed to 9th or 10th is that even if you lose the first Play-In game, you get a second opportunity, whereas, with the bottom two postseason seeds, you must win two games to make the playoffs but are automatically eliminated with a loss.

The teams the Warriors are currently competing with in the 8-10 range are the eighth-place Los Angeles Lakers and 9th-place Sacramento Kings.

Warriors Remaining Schedulevs. Jazz on Sunday

Here are the remaining schedules for the other teams they're competing with for Play-In positioning: Kings: vs. BlazersLakers: @ Pelicans

Warriors’ Head-to-Head Tiebreaker Status

At the top of the conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are all within a game of one another for first place. The top-two seeds in the conference at season's end would face whoever emerges from the Play-In Tournament  in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Having all clinched the playoffs already but fighting for the first seed, here are their remaining schedules.

Timberwolves: vs. SunsNuggets: @ GrizzliesThunder: vs. Mavericks

The Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are locked into the 4th seed vs. 5th seed matchup and will face each other in the first round. Outside of that, the playoff picture in the West is much less clear with seedings and Play-In Tournament positioning still to be decided in the final days of the regular season.

If the NBA Postseason started today, here is what the Western Conference would look like.

PLAY IN8th seed Lakers @ 7th seed Suns10th seed Warriors @ 9th seed Kings

PLAYOFFS1st seed Thunder vs. 8th seed Play-In winner2nd seed Timberwolves vs. 7th seed Play-In winner3rd seed Nuggets vs. 6th seed Pelicans4th seed Clippers vs. 5th seed Mavericks

warriors-postseason-picture-top-10-seed-clinched-in-final-week-of-regular-season-20240409

Play-In Picture: Dubs Can Finish 8th, 9th or 10th in West

*Updated Through Games Played on April 4*

With less than two weeks left in the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the NBA Playoffs and Play-In Tournament are quickly approaching. Currently, the Warriors sit in 10th place (42-34), which would qualify them for the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, featuring seventh through 10th place for the right to the seventh and eighth seeds in the playoffs.

As things currently stand, the West play-in teams, like the conference overall, are stacked with starpower. Each seventh through 10th place team in the Western Conference has multiple players who have made an All-Star team within the past three seasons.

stephen-curry-is-having-an-all-star-season-2023-24-highlights

Stephen Curry is Having an All-Star Season | 2023-24 Highlights

The Dubs have a wide range of where they can realistically end up at season's end. Currently, they are three games behind the sixth-place Phoenix Suns and four games ahead of the 11th-place Houston Rockets.

Last season was the first time since the institution of the Play-In Tournament in 2021 that a play-in team won a playoff series. Those teams—the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers—had deep postseason runs, with the eighth-seed Heat making the NBA Finals and the seventh-seed Lakers reaching the Western Conference Finals.

plays-of-the-round-western-conference-first-round-kings-2023

Plays of the Round | Western Conference First Round

Last season, the Warriors finished as the sixth seed and defeated the third-seeded Sacramento Kings in the first round. The way the conference standings are shaping up, the Dubs could face another youthful but talented team in the first round if they get into the top eight, as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves are — like the Kings in 2023 — are led in scoring by guards age 25 or younger (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, age 25; Anthony Edwards, age 22).

With so much congestion in the Western Conference standings, there remains plenty of opportunity for the deck to be shuffled more than once. No matter which way one looks at it, there’s plenty to be decided over the final four weeks of the season.

warriors-postseason-picture-crowded-landscape-in-the-west-2024

Warriors Postseason Picture: Crowded Landscape in the West

*Updated Through Games Played on April 8*

It has been nearly six months since the Warriors’ received their 2022 NBA Championship rings on Opening Night at Chase Center, and it will take until the last day of the regular season to see if that title defense next continues into the playoffs. The Warriors enter Sunday’s regular season finale at Portland controlling their own destiny, with a win guaranteeing a top-six playoff spot.&nbsp;

The significance of finishing in sixth place or better in the conference is a big one, as the top six teams in both the West and East at the end of the regular season secure a playoff spot, while the seventh through 10th place teams will participate in a play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff spots in each conference.

Another bonus for teams in the top six: up to a full week between the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason! The Play-In Tournament in both conferences begins on Tuesday and ends on Friday, and with the NBA Playoffs beginning on Saturday, April 15, it will certainly be a quick turnaround for those fortunate play-in teams that reach the playoffs.

Through NBA games played on Saturday, the Warriors are...

Warriors Magic Number to Clinch Playoff Berth: 1

By winning seven of their last nine games, the Warriors have assured that they will finish no worse than eighth in the Western Conference. They can get a top-six playoff seed with a win at Portland on Sunday, but that is just one of the several possible outcomes for the Dubs.

Potential Playoff Seeding and Tie-Breaker Scenarios

The Warriors can finish anywhere between fifth and eighth in the Western Conference. It’s possible the the Warriors can finish with the same regular season record as the Clippers, Lakers and Pelicans. Just 1.0 games in the standings separate the four teams, so it’s certainly possible that at least one tie-breaker will be needed to determine fifth through eighth place in the West.&nbsp;

If the Warriors are to finish the regular season with the same record as the Pelicans or either of the L.A. teams, the Dubs would lose the tie-breaker with any one of those teams. However, the Warriors can nab a sixth seed in certain three-team tie-breakers. Keep reading to see what needs to happen for the Warriors to finish in fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth in the West …

The Warriors can get the fifth seed if …

The Warriors can get the sixth seed if …&nbsp;

The Warriors can get the seventh seed if …

The Warriors can get the eighth seed if …

Should the Warriors finish in fifth place, they’ll take on the Suns in the first round of the playoffs. If the Dubs finish in sixth, then they take on their Nor-Cal neighbor Sacramento Kings in the first round. A seventh or eighth place finish would land the Dubs in the play-in, and depending on final seeding, their potential opponent in the first play-in game can be the Lakers, Pelicans or Timberwolves.   

Warriors at Trail Blazers | Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (NBCSBA)Clippers at Suns | Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (League Pass)Lakers vs. Jazz | Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (ESPN)Pelicans at Timberwolves | Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (League Pass)

If the Warriors’ win on Sunday, then the result of the Clippers game will indicate if the Dubs finish fifth (Clippers loss) or sixth (Clippers win) in the West. 

But if the Dubs fall in Portland on Sunday, then the Pelicans and Lakers games become much more interesting for Dub Nation. And to make it even more juicy, all games that can potentially impact the Dubs’ final standing in the West on Sunday will tip off at 12:30 p.m. 

First through fourth place in the West is locked in:1st Place – Denver Nuggets2nd Place – Memphis Grizzlies3rd Place – Sacramento Kings4th Place – Phoenix Suns

All four of those teams will host the first two games of their first round playoff series. Who they will play though is still to be determined. Each of the Warriors, Clippers, Lakers and Pelicans are all within 1.0 games of each other. The Warriors, Clippers and Pelicans are still in play for the fifth seed, those three teams and the Lakers still have a shot at sixth, and those four teams and the Timberwolves are all candidates for the seventh and eighth spots. Beyond the top four, about the only thing that’s settled in the West – relative to postseason – is that the Thunder have locked in the final spot (10th place) in the  play-in. The Timberwolves are also assured of participating in the play-in, but their position in that tournament will be determined on Sunday. 

There’s certainly no shortage of possibilities in terms of what can happen in regard to playoff seeding and play-in positioning on the final day of the regular season. The middle of the standings in the Western Conference has been a traffic jam for months, but the playoff picture is about to clear up!

warriors-postseason-picture-20230408

Warriors Postseason Picture: It All Comes Down to Sunday

*Updated Through Games Played on April 6*

With just two games remaining for the Warriors in the regular season, the Dubs are in a tight battle for playoff positioning in a crowded Western Conference. So far, the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns have clinched a playoff spot in the West, while just two games separate fifth place from ninth place.

The top six teams in both the West and East at the end of the regular season secure a playoff spot, while the seventh through 10th place teams will participate in a play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff spots in each conference.

Read below for more on where the Dubs currently stand in their battle for postseason positioning.

Through NBA games played on Thursday, the Warriors are...

The Warriors are currently in position to take on the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Sacramento ended the longest postseason drought of any U.S. major professional sports team when they clinched a playoff berth last week.

Should the current standings hold up through the conclusion of the regular season, that would mark the first-ever playoff matchup between the Northern California neighbors.

As of today, it's mathematically possible for the Warriors to finish anywhere from fifth place to 9th in the West. So no matter what happens in the final week of the season, the Dubs' season will extend beyond the April 9 regular season finale at Portland.

The Warriors' final two games are on the road, where the Dubs are 9-30 this season. The Warriors finish the season with consecutive road games against the Sacramento Kings, who have already clinched a playoff spot but are still in reach of the second seed (2.0 games behind Memphis) and the Portland Trail Blazers, who have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

As of now, the Warriors can control their own destiny in terms of securing a guaranteed playoff berth. If the Warriors win both of their remaining games, they will finish either fifth or sixth place in the West. If they lose one or both of those games, then there are several more possibilities.

The soonest the Warriors can clinch a top-six playoff spot is tonight. In order for that to happen, the Warriors would need to win at Sacramento and both the Pelicans and Lakers would need to lose their home games tonight (NOP vs. NYK, 5 p.m.; LAL vs. PHX; 7:30 p.m.).

IF THE WARRIORS SPLIT FRIDAY’S AND SUNDAY’S GAMES

IF THE WARRIORS LOSE BOTH OF THEIR REMAINING GAMES

If the Warriors were to finish the season with the same record as another team, this is how the NBA determines which team would get the higher seeding.

warriors-postseason-picture-potential-clinching-scenarios-20230406

Warriors Postseason Picture: Potential Clinching Scenarios

With just two games remaining for the Warriors in the regular season, the Dubs are in a tight battle for playoff positioning in a crowded Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns have clinched a playoff spot in the West, and the Warriors, Clippers, Lakers and Pelicans are all vying for the final two secure playoff spots in the conference.

Through NBA games played on Tuesday, the Warriors are...

The Warriors are currently in position to take on the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, however, the winner of Wednesday's Lakers-Clippers matchup will pass the Dubs for fifth in the standings due a tie-breaker advantage, dropping the Warriors to sixth place, which as of now would mean a first round playoff matchup with the Kings.

Should the Warriors play Sacramento in the playoffs, it would mark the first-ever postseason matchup between the Northern California neighbors.

As of today, it's mathematically possible for the Warriors to finish anywhere from fifth place to ninth in the West. So no matter what happens in this final week of the season, the Dubs' season will extend beyond the April 9 regular season finale at Portland.

Although the Warriors are currently in position for the fifth seed in the West, dropping to sixth and falling into the play-in tournament are very real possibilities with the Dubs, Clippers, Lakers, Pelicans and TImberwolves all being within two losses of one another.

Each of the two final Warriors regular season games are on the road, where the Dubs are 9-30 this season. The Warriors finish the season with consecutive road games against the Sacramento Kings, who have secured no worse than the third seed, and the Portland Trail Blazers, who have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

warriors-postseason-picture-where-dubs-stand-20230330

Warriors Postseason Picture: Where Dubs Stand

*Updated Through Games Played on March 24*

With just seven games remaining for the Warriors in the regular season, the Dubs are fighting for playoff positioning in a crowded Western Conference. Only the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies have clinched a playoff spot in the West, where just 3.5 games separate fourth place from 12th place.

Through NBA games played on Friday, the Warriors are...

The Warriors are currently in position to take on the Kings in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Should the current standings hold up through the conclusion of the regular season, that would mark the first-ever playoff matchup between the Northern California neighbors.

As of today, it's mathematically possible for the Warriors to finish anywhere from third place to 13th in the West, although Memphis and Sacramento are in second and third place with a bit of a cushion over the next nine teams in the standings. Seemingly every Dubs game, and even some off days,  can impact whether the team moves up or down in the standings.

Although the Warriors are currently in position for the sixth seed in the West, improving their playoff positioning, participating in the play-in tournament and missing the play-in completely are all very real possibilities with six teams currently having just one or two more losses than the Dubs.

Four of the Warriors' seven remaining games will be played at Chase Center, where the Dubs are 30-7 this season, tied for the third best home record in the league. And three of those home games are against opponents who are part of that logjam in the West standings: Sunday vs. the Timberwolves (7th place; 37-37), Tuesday vs. the Pelicans (9th place; 36-37) and April 4 vs. the Thunder (10th in West; 36-38).

The playoff picture isn't a clear one just yet, and it may stay that way right up until and possibly through the final weekend of the season.