SAN FRANCISCO — The day the Warriors have waited weeks for has almost arrived. As Draymond Green candidly shared during a recent press conference, the team has been essentially locked into the No. 10 seed for the past 15 games, with wins and losses inconsequential.
Now, the Warriors are ready for a win-or-go-home game against a familiar opponent. Golden State will remain in Los Angeles County for the No. 9-10 play-in tournament game against the Clippers at Intuit Dome on Wednesday (7 p.m., Prime Video).
The Warriors lost to the Clippers in Sunday’s season finale, and the players appreciate being able to stay in the same town for five straight days.
“No matter who we play, I think we’d be ready,” Los Angeles native De’Anthony Melton said Friday night after the Warriors’ loss in Sacramento. “But I think at the same time, not having to travel sometimes, or just travel short distances, it’s good too.”
The winner advances to face the loser of Tuesday’s play-in game between the No. 8 Trail Blazers and No. 7 Suns for the privilege of taking on No. 1 seed and defending champion Oklahoma City. The loser of Wednesday’s game will see its season end.
Storyline
The teams had a couple of playoff battles in the 2010s, including a seven-game Clippers victory in the first round of the 2014 season that led to Steve Kerr’s first year on the job. However, no LA players remain from their last series – a 4-2 Warriors win – in 2019.
The Clippers have played the season mired in controversy, as the NBA is investigating the Clippers for allegedlycircumventing the salary cap by facilitating an endorsement deal for Kawhi Leonard that required him to do nothing to earn it.
The Clippers began the season 6-21 and released franchise icon Chris Paul, but the team has bounced back, even despite trading away starters James Harden and Ivica Zubac to claw back in the playoffs.
The Warriors are limping into the postseason with most of their ideal starting lineup either out for the season with a knee injury (Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody) or battling chronic injuries (Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis).
Season series (Clippers 3, Warriors 1)
The Warriors shut down the Clippers 98-79 in their first matchup back on Oct. 28. The Clippers benefited from a Kerr ejection and a late Curry foul-out, beating Golden State 103-102. Despite Green giving a spirited defensive effort against Leonard, the Clippers defeated the Warriors 114-102 on March 2. The Clippers defeated the Warriors 115-110 on Sunday in the season finale, even though Leonard sat out to rest his ankle and Curry played with nothing on the line for Golden State.
Play-in history
The Warriors are 1-3 all-time in the play-in, their only win being a 121-116 victory over the Grizzlies last season.
“The play-in games actually don’t exist,” Kerr joked last year, poking fun at the NBA’s choice not to include the tournament’s stats in regular-season or playoff totals. “I don’t remember anything about being in a play-in game in the past. It vanished into thin air.”
Recent history
The Clippers have been one of the streakiest teams in the league since March began, with four-and five-game winning streaks sandwiched around four consecutive losses.
Leonard has been among the best offensive players in the league, averaging a career-high 27.9 points per game, and his co-star Darius Garland has put up 20.2 points and 6.7 assists per game since joining the Clippers following a trade from the Cavaliers. Benedict Mathurin, acquired from Indiana in the Zubac trade, has averaged 17.3 points per game off the bench since arriving in Inglewood.
X-factor: Healthy(?) Kristaps Porzingis
When he is in top shape, Porzingis is the kind of isolation scorer the Warriors have lacked since Butler’s injury, and the type of shot-blocker Golden State has not had since Andrew Bogut’s heyday.
The problem is, Porzingis being available is never a certainty. He has dealt with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome for years. After arriving in the Bay Area and debuting post-All-Star break, Porzingis missed the next six games with an unidentified illness. Since then, he has missed time with a back injury, knee soreness and another illness.
Porzingis should thrive against the Clippers frontcourt, which includes the ancient Brook Lopez and the middling John Collins. But with his injury history, there is no guarantee he can do that for a full game.
Injury report
Leonard, as has been the case for much of his career, is dealing with an injury. This time, it is his left ankle. But aside from a season-ending injuries to center Yanic Niederhauser and an early-season hip fracture that ended Bradley Beal’s debut season, they are healthy.
Meanwhile, Curry is 38 and is trying to regain his stamina after missing over two months with runner’s knee. He played 27 minutes against the Rockets a week ago and 25 against the Kings on Tuesday. In the rematch in Sacramento, Curry tweaked his right ankle but played 27 minutes, and then finished the regular season by playing X minutes at the Clippers.
Aside from Butler and Moody, the Warriors could be without backup center Quinten Post (foot). The rest of the team is expected to be available.
One thing working in the Warriors’ favor is that most of their top players have not been asked to play huge minutes. The only exception is Brandin Podziemski, who has played at least 30 minutes in seven of the team’s last 11 games.