Warriors Stunned by Spurs in Costly Playoff Loss

The Golden State Warriors suffered a critical loss on Wednesday that will have massive ramifications in the Western Conference playoff race.

Going up against a lottery-bound Spurs team, the Warriors dropped a much-needed home game by a score of 114-111. The Spurs were without their two best players — Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox — who are already ruled out for the season. Since acquiring Jimmy Butler, the Warriors had been playing as well as any team in the league.

It seemed like an easy path for Golden State tacking on another win as they battle for playoff position.

A strong first quarter had the Warriors in front by nine points. Things slowed down in the second, as Golden State went 6-of-22 from the field and were outscored by 13. Stephen Curry scored 14 points in the third and the Warriors entered the fourth quarter nursing a 12-point lead.

In the final frame, the Warriors went cold once again. Curry and Butler combined to go 5-of-11, but the rest of Golden State went 0-for-10 (0-for-6 from three) in the period. The Spurs, on the other hand, were red-hot and went 13-of-18 in the quarter (7-of-10) from three. The teams traded leads in the final minutes, and Draymond Green tied the game with a pair of free throws with three seconds left. On the final play, the Spurs inbounded it to Harrison Barnes who sunk a game-winning three as time expired to stun his former team.

With the result, the Warriors suffered their 33rd loss of the season and fell to 7th place in the Western Conference. The three teams ahead of them in the standings — Nuggets, Clippers, and Grizzlies — all have 32 losses. If the playoffs began today, the Warriors would face off with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in tournament.

Had they taken care of business versus the Spurs, Golden State would have had a good chance at a top-4 seed. Now, they’re looking at a play-in matchup with last year’s Western Conference runner-up. The Warriors are 0-3 in play-in games, including a blowout loss last year to the Sacramento Kings.

Last night’s loss means they’ll need some help to secure a top-6 seed. Golden State’s final two games are a road date in Portland and a home matchup against the Clippers. They’ll need to win both games and get some help from the teams ahead of them to avoid the play-in.