The Golden State Warriors will play with their season on the line Wednesday night in a first-round Play-In Tournament matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM PT in Los Angeles and can be watched on Prime Video.
Previously with the Warriors:
The Warriors closed out the regular season with a 115-110 loss to the Clippers on Sunday night. With Golden State
locked into the No. 10 seed and Los Angeles essentially secured as the No. 9 seed, both teams entered knowing a Play-In Tournament rematch was likely. As a result, neither side showed much strategically as the Warriors held out Draymond Green, while the Clippers opted to rest All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard.
Steph Curry, however, did play as he continues to ramp up for the postseason. He led all scorers with 24 points in 29 minutes, and more importantly, said afterward that he’s in a decent spot physically ahead of Wednesday’s matchup.
What to watch for tonight:
The Warriors are expected to have a full roster available after dealing with a wave of injuries to end the regular season, although, head coach Steve Kerr did mention multiple players could still be on a minutes restriction. That includes Curry, who Kerr indicated will likely not exceed 40 minutes in this win-or-go-home matchup.
Entering tonight’s game in Los Angeles, the Warriors have lost nine of their last 10 against the Clippers, including a 1-3 record against them this season. That said, tonight’s game will likely come down to two key matchups: Golden State’s defense on Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers’ defense on Stephen Curry.
Leonard remains one of the most dangerous postseason scorers in the league, so Golden State will likely lean on Green as the primary defender on him. In their March 2nd matchup, Green was able to hold Leonard to 23 points — slightly below his season average of 27.9, which was the sixth-highest in the NBA.
On the other end, the Warriors’ offense will inevitably run through Curry. Clippers head coach Ty Lue has a long history of throwing different defensive looks at him, and in Sunday’s matchup, they used Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. as the primary defenders. Expect a similar approach on Wednesday with potential double teams to force the ball out of Curry’s hands.
One thing is for certain: Getting to the playoffs won’t be easy. To keep their season alive, the Warriors must win this game and then defeat the Phoenix Suns just to secure the No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s a challenging path, but one that is led by a superstar like Curry, a roster with playoff-tested veterans, and a plethora of championship experience.
Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!!
Projected Starters
Warriors: Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis
Clippers: Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr., Brook Lopez
How to watch Play-In Tournament Round 1
Who: Golden State Warriors (37 – 45) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (42 – 40)
When: Wednesday, April 15th, at 7:00 p.m. PT
Where: Intuit Dome — Los Angeles, California
TV and Streaming: Prime Video (available on fuboTV)
