Well, here we are again. The monthly check in on the Golden State Warriors and their spot in the Western Conference standings is coming early this time around, because what better time to take a look at where things stand before the second half of the season gets started on Thursday night?
At least this time around we get some good news: the Warriors are in much better position than they were at the last standings check-in, which took place at the beginning of the month.
So let’s take a look at the big picture, so we can judge how we feel about the team’s chances of rising into a playoff spot, staying in a play-in spot, or falling out of the picture altogether. As a reminder, these are standings, not power rankings. And the net ratings are garbage-time adjusted, courtesy of Cleaning The Glass.
The playoff teams
1. Minnesota Timberwolves — 39-16 record, +8.4 net rating (2nd in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Wolves: 0-2
Games remaining vs. Wolves: 1
Minnesota has been the team at the top of the standings all four times that I’ve written this article. And they’ve quietly been moving up the net rating ranks, proving that their stellar record is no fluke. Even when shorthanded, the Dubs have played the Wolves close. Can they grab a win against them when they face off in a month?
2. Oklahoma City Thunder — 37-17 record, +7.9 net rating (3rd in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Thunder: 1-3
Games remaining vs. Thunder: 0
And the Thunder have been second in the standings in all four of these West updates. These weren’t the two teams people were expecting, but they’ve been consistent! I think I speak for everyone when I say that a playoff matchup between the Warriors and OKC would be absolutely electric.
3. LA Clippers — 36-17 record, +7.2 net rating (4th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Clippers: 1-3
Games remaining vs. Clippers: 0
I think it’s safe to say that neither the Warriors nor their fans will be forgetting their recent game against the Clippers, in which they blew an 18-point fourth quarter lead to lose another heartbreaker. That’s the only loss the Warriors have had in their last seven games, and definitely one that will be fueling them should they meet the Clippers in the postseason.
4. Denver Nuggets — 36-19 record, +3.5 net rating (10th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Nuggets: 0-3
Games remaining vs. Nuggets: 1
The Dubs have played the defending champs well this year, despite going winless in three contests. They’ll get one last shot at Denver on Sunday, and then perhaps four-to-seven more shots in April or May. Conventional wisdom suggests the Nuggets should be the favorites in the West right now.
5. Phoenix Suns — 33-22 record, +4.1 net rating (8th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Suns: 1-3
Games remaining vs. Suns: 1
The games between Phoenix and Golden State have been electric and exciting this year, with the Dubs finally grabbing a thrilling win right before the break. Talk about another banger of a playoff series this would be!
6. New Orleans Pelicans — 33-22 record, +4.0 net rating (9th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Pelicans: 1-1
Games remaining vs. Pelicans: 1
NOLA has just kind of been hanging around all season, better than they’ve been in past years, but not quite as good as some might have expected given that they’ve been healthier than usual. They’re an electric but flawed team, and so far the Warriors have had one of their best wins and one of their worst losses against them.
The play-in teams
7. Dallas Mavericks — 32-23 record, +2.0 net rating (12th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Mavs: 0-1
Games remaining vs. Mavs: 3
Golden State certainly gets to control a good amount of their own fate by facing Dallas so many times down the stretch. Thankfully it’s a pretty good matchup for the Dubs, in my eyes.
8. Sacramento Kings — 31-23 record, -0.5 net rating (19th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Kings: 2-2
Games remaining vs. Kings: 0
The last time the Warriors and Kings — budding rivals — played, Sacramento eked out a thrilling victory. It was the start of a funny month of basketball for the Warriors: starting with that game, the Dubs have lost just four games over the last month, with all four being wildly-close games.
9. LA Lakers — 30-26 record, +0.9 net rating (17th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Lakers: 0-1
Games remaining vs. Lakers: 3
Right now the Dubs and Lakers are jockeying for the positioning in the play-in tournament and, for better or for worse, they get to play each other three more times ... including when the season resumes on Thursday. Given that the one time they did play was one of the most entertaining games in the NBA this year, that’s good news for everybody.
10. Golden State Warriors — 27-26 record, +1.6 net rating (13th in the NBA)
Games ahead of the last team out: 2.5
Games out of the playoffs: 5
The good news is that the Warriors have not just climbed into the play-in tournament, but are very firmly there. And they’ve been playing some of the best basketball in the NBA lately: since January 30, the Dubs are 8-2 with a +8.2 net rating. And on top of all of that, the Warriors have one of the easiest schedules in the NBA remaining.
The bad news is that they’ve dug themselves quite a hole to climb out of.
The lottery teams
11. Utah Jazz — 26-30 record, -3.5 net rating (23rd in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Jazz: 2-0
Games remaining vs. Jazz: 2
Utah bowed out of the playoff race at the trade deadline, when they made some trades that hurt their team this year but helped them long term. It seems highly unlikely that the Jazz will challenge the Dubs (or anyone) for the final play-in spot, so right now their role is to give the Dubs two relatively easy games.
12. Houston Rockets — 24-30 record, +1.3 net rating (14th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Rockets: 2-0
Games remaining vs. Rockets: 1
All year long, the Rockets record has lagged far behind their net rating. We’re past the point of expecting that to be able to course correct, so I’d be surprised if they get back into the playoff picture, even though they have a better net rating than the Lakers or Kings.
13. Memphis Grizzlies — 20-36 record, -5.5 net rating (25th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Grizzlies: 1-1
Games remaining vs. Grizzlies: 1
The rivalry between these teams is on pause, as a season-ending injury to Ja Morant has wiped out any hopes Memphis had of making noise. Still, the remaining game is likely to be exciting, as these teams don’t exactly like each other.
14. Portland Trail Blazers — 15-39 record, -10.0 net rating (28th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Blazers: 3-0
Games remaining vs. Blazers: 1
Can the Warriors petition to play the Blazers more than just four times this year?
15. San Antonio Spurs — 11-44 record, -8.6 net rating (26th in the NBA)
Warriors record vs. Spurs: 1-0
Games remaining vs. Spurs: 3
Only two things to say about the Spurs: it’s great that the Warriors still get to face them three more times, and enjoy them being bad while it lasts, because it won’t last long.
