Klay Thompson Says Warriors' Loss to Pelicans amid NBA Playoff Picture 'Stings a Lot' | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Daniel Santos The Golden State Warriors missed a golden opportunity to put themselves in position for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference play-in tournament with Friday's 114-109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Instead of maintaining that spot, the Warriors dropped back down to 10th in the standings and might need to win two games to make the playoff field.
Klay Thompson said after the loss "it stings a lot" knowing they could have controlled their destiny for the eighth seed.
The Warriors (45-36) have been peaking at the right time, at least prior to Friday night. They were 9-2 in their last 11 games going into the matchup with New Orleans.
That hot streak pushed the Warriors from clinging to the No. 10 seed and one game ahead of the Houston Rockets in the standings on March 25 to having secured a spot in the play-in tournament.
Losing to the Pelicans leaves the Warriors in a situation where they need help just to host the 9-10 play-in game, let alone have a shot at moving up to No. 8.
NBA Communications @NBAPRComplete Western Conference Playoff and Play-In scenarios for tomorrow's games ⬇️ <a href="">
The two teams directly ahead of the Warriors are the Los Angeles Lakers (46-35) and Sacramento Kings (45-36). Golden State and Sacramento both own the tiebreaker over the Lakers, so they would finish ahead of Los Angeles if the three teams end up with the same record.
The Kings own the tiebreaker over the Warriors based on division record, so Golden State has to finish with a better record to move ahead of them in the standings.
Golden State and Sacramento have very winnable games on Sunday. The Warriors will host the Utah Jazz at Chase Center. The Kings, who have lost seven of their last 10 games, will play the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center.
The Lakers have to play on the road against the Pelicans, who need a win or a Phoenix Suns loss to stay in the sixth spot and avoid the play-in tournament. Los Angeles has won two of three head-to-head meetings with the Pelicans this season, but they haven't played since Feb. 9.
If the Warriors lose in the play-in tournament, it will mark three times in the past five seasons they have missed the postseason. Their only previous appearance in the play-in tournament was during the 2020-21 season, when they lost to the Lakers to determine the No. 7 seed and Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed.
