San Francisco – Stephen Curry was double-teamed on the final possession, leaving Buddy Hield to take the last shot, a miss that sealed the Warriors’ fate. Golden State’s hopes of avoiding the Play-In Tournament came down to overtime, where they ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Clippers, 124-119.
The Warriors will now host the Memphis Grizzlies this Tuesday, the same team that eliminated them twice in previous Play-In Tournaments. Despite showing grit and toughness down the stretch of the regular season, Golden State has struggled with costly turnovers and lapses in rebounding, which have put them in tough spots time and again.
The Western Conference playoff standings are finally set, and it took the final day of the regular season to lock them in. That speaks to just how competitive and high-level the teams in the West have been playing. Every game down the stretch felt like a playoff battle for the Warriors. The Clippers’ win secured them the fifth seed, while the Minnesota Timberwolves claimed the sixth spot, the position Golden State had been aiming for.
The Warriors used 33 different starting lineups through their first 56 games this season—the second-most in the NBA. However, head coach Steve Kerr eventually settled on a starting five of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski, which closed the season with an impressive 16-3 record. Since Butler’s addition, the Warriors went 23-7 in games he played during the regular season.
Jimmy Butler finished with 30 points and 9 assists. Despite suffering an apparent injury that left him hobbling under the basket, Butler stayed in the game and played through the remainder of the contest. He later explained that his left thigh was bothering him after a collision with Kawhi Leonard’s knee, which caused him to limp. Butler plans to play Tuesday night against the Grizzlies.
“I’ll be a’ight,” said Butler. “Go home play some dominoes, and drink some coffee. That helps me feel better.”
Green reflected on guarding Leonard, who finished with 33 points and 7 assists in L.A.’s win over Golden State. Butler was assigned to Leonard for most of the night, while Green picked him up later in the game.
“I enjoy playing against him the most in this league, Green said. “He has to be one of my top three players. I improve when I play against him. He’s one of the greatest, yet underrated and unappreciated. When you play against greats, they require you to perform at a higher level.”
Green went 4-of-6 from three-point range, marking the fourth time this season he has hit four or more threes. Golden State is 2-2 in those games this season and 20-4 all-time. Green also logged a season-high 38 minutes.
Stephen Curry recorded his 21st 30-point game of the season, it was also the second time in the last three games that he scored at least 30 (averaging 27.3 points per game over that span). He finished the season with a 93.3% free throw percentage, leading the league for the fifth time in his career. That ties him with Reggie Miller for the third-most seasons leading the NBA in free throw percentage, behind Bill Sharman (7) and Rick Barry (6).
Curry played a season-high 38 minutes and knocked down seven three-pointers, bringing his season total to 311, ranking third behind Anthony Edwards (320) and Malik Beasley (319). His 311-made threes also rank as the ninth-most in a single season in NBA history. Curry now holds six of the top 10 spots on that all-time list.
Photo by GSW/X
