The Warriors are no longer in a position that the can comfortably make the play-in tournament. They will have to fight to fight to fight make the playoffs. They did that Tuesday night, getting a win to stay in the 10th seed.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors' 113-92.
A world in which Andrew Wiggins is always aggressive
Andrew Wiggins opened the second half hot. Three ball screens, two scores. A back-door lob from Draymond Green to Jonathan Kuminga was followed by another mid-range from Wiggins. Then a stop and a full-court pass from Green to Wiggins resulted in the latter's trip to the free throw line.
Wiggins sparked the Warriors in that third quarter, in which they stretched their lead to a then-game-high 13 points. It was one of those series that begged the eternal question: where would the Warriors be if Wiggins consistently showed that version of himself?
Certainly not the 10th seed, battling to stay there.
Just imagine how dominant Wiggins would be if he thought he was the second coming of Michael Jordan.
Wiggins finished with 17 points (7-of-12, 1-of-4 from 3-pt), 7 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 blocks and a turnover. It was one of those nights that showed flashes of a plus player. But that just leaves you wondering where in the world that 2022 playoff Wiggins came from, and if he'll ever make a grand reappearance.
Shorthanded on either side = defense
The Warriors were only without Trayce Jackson-Davis, but that was a substantial absence against Bam Adebayo.
But Miami was without Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love. The Jackson-Davis absence was not exactly one to complain about.
Those absences, against a defensively tough Miami team always set up for a competitive, defense-oriented matchup. That's exactly what it was, with the Heat throwing a good deal of full-court press the Warriors' way.
While it was a disjointed, tough matchup, Golden State pulled away in the third quarter as a result of defensive effort led by Draymond Green.
They went up 78-70 with more than two minutes left in the third, and reached their first double-digit lead on the back of a Klay Thompson block that led to a Kevon Looney drive. When the Heat cut it to eight points, Kuminga flew in from the heavens to re-state a 10-point lead.
Thompson, it has to be stated, was the offensive catalyst for the Warriors. He was efficient and crafty, despite taking a couple of ill-advised heat checks. He finished with insert stats.
What does it all MEAN?
So, where does this leave the Warriors? In 10th... which is actually newsworthy. The Houston Rockets won their NBA-best ninth-straight game in a 110-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night, to put them a half-game back of Golden State.
This keeps the Rockets a game back of the play-in tournament, a destination the Warriors are still on a crash-course towards.
It's setting up for a monumental game April 4, when the Rockets host the Warriors in Houston. That game will determine the postseason tiebreaker between those two teams.
With five games back of the Sacramento Kings and 11 to play, the Warriors' dreams of making the sixth seed are long gone. Even with a game to go against the Los Angeles Lakers and being just two games behind them, making the ninth seed is a challenge.
Maybe some things will change, but it feels abundantly clear that the Warriors' path to the playoffs involves a hard run to the regular-season finish line, then two play-in wins.
Comments / 0