The Golden State Warriors are severely compromised entering the play-in game against the LA Clippers on Wednesday night.
According to head coach Steve Kerr, Brandin Podziemski is the only player on the roster “capable” of playing more than 35 minutes, with Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford on a minutes restriction entering the win-or-go-home contest.
“Other than Brandin Podziemski, I’m not sure anybody is even capable of playing more than 35 minutes,” Kerr told 95.7 The Game on Tuesday.
“Steph just came back obviously, didn’t quite get to 30 minutes the other night…So that’s just who we are right now as a team.”
Warriors Vs. Clippers Play-in Game
The Warriors enter the play-in game as +170 underdogs after losing the regular-season series 3-1 to Kawhi Leonard and Co.
A big part of the reason for that is that the Warriors won’t get the best versions of Curry, Porzingis or Horford due to the minutes restriction.
“I don’t know exactly what the number will be,” Kerr said on Monday, via ClutchPoints. “But those guys, they’re not going to play 40 minutes, I can tell you that.”
Curry logged 26, 25, 27 and 29 minutes in his four games since returning from a knee injury that kept him out of action for nearly two months.
“I think he’s had four games now where he stretched almost up to 30 last night,” Kerr said of Curry’s status. “So with the two days off, he should be able to get at least that, and then hopefully some more.”
Warriors Accused of Tanking
Some analysts believe the Warriors may be purposefully tanking the play-in game against the LA Clippers to increase their NBA Draft Lottery odds. If the Warriors fail to qualify for the playoffs, they will have a 3.0% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and a 13.9% of a top-4 pick in the loaded 2026 NBA Draft class. Those odds would shrink significantly if they qualify for the playoffs as the eighth seed.
“If you are treating this game like it’s a Game 7, a win-or-go-home game, which, by the way, it is, then you would not be saying these things,” NBA analyst Dan Dibley told 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Monday.
“I’m not saying Steph has to play 46 minutes, but the very fact he [Kerr] is already signaling that, ‘Yeah, they’re not gonna play 40 minutes,’ that’s telling me that they are not that into this game,” he added.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater also suggested that it makes sense for the Warriors to lose.
“I think it is fair to wonder organizationally whether it’s better for them to lose,” Slater said, citing the fact that the Dallas Mavericks lost in the play-in tournament last year and ended up drafting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick.
“If the Warriors lose, they keep their lottery odds — 9.4 percent chance to jump into the top four [picks] this draft.”
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