SAN FRANCISCO: In the last week of the 2023–24 NBA regular season, the Warriors’ window of opportunity grew bigger with each victory, instead of just breaking and showing a glimpse of light.
All for one disastrous quarter to force it to close on their home court on Friday night. After the Warriors’ 114-109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, at least that’s how it seemed.
The mountain that was Golden State’s comeback attempt was too steep to climb. Between the first, third, and fourth quarters, the Warriors outscored the Pelicans by a score of eighteen points. The Warriors were allergic to hanging onto the ball, and the Pelicans were having a team-wide NBA Jam moment from long range, which resulted in a second quarter where they were outscored by 23 points, 45-22.
Before Sunday’s final regular-season game, the Warriors’ standing in the Western Conference was once again lowered to No. 10. Which takes us to the dilemma that Steve Kerr, the other members of his coaching staff, and Rick Celebrini, the director of sports medicine and performance, must face: Should one rest or should one not?
When asked if he could rest certain players on Sunday, Kerr responded, “Oh hell yeah,” following the loss on Friday night.
The Warriors must now contend with the fact that they will require assistance from both a 21-win Portland Trail Blazers club, which is tied for the poorest record in the West, and a motivated Pelicans team hoping to escape the NBA Play-In Tournament and guarantee their berth in the postseason.
The regular season will come to a conclusion on Sunday, and everyone who is following the scoreboard and trying to figure out where each team finishes and who they play next will also burn out physically and mentally. To begin with, the Warriors take on the 31-win Utah Jazz, a club that has lately experienced a 13-game losing run and has also won two straight games on consecutive days. Regardless of how everything else turns out, the Warriors have business to attend to.
