The tenth-seeded Golden State Warriors (37-45) will face the ninth-seeded LA Clippers (42-40) in the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday night.
Ahead of the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has made it clear that Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford will all be under a minutes restriction, even as the franchise tries to keep its season alive.
“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.”
It’s worth noting that Curry has logged 26, 25, 27 and 29 minutes in his four games since returning from a knee injury that kept him out 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 being on a minutes restriction. “So with the two days off, he should be able to get at least that, and then hopefully some more.”
Are Warriors Tanking the Play-In?
NBA analyst Dan Dibley believes the Warriors are not taking the play-in game seriously, based on Kerr’s comments.
“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,” Dibley said on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” show on Monday.
Dibley then highlighted that Jimmy Butler (45), Stephen Curry (46) and Draymond Green (40) all logged over 40 minutes in Game 7 against the Houston Rockets in the first round of their playoff series last year.
“That was a win-or-go-home game as well,” Dibley said. “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.”
Warriors Vs. Clippers Play-In Game
In fairness to Kerr, the Warriors have been hobbled with injuries all season.
While Curry has played just 43 games, Porzingis and Horford have been used sparingly by Kerr due to various issues. While Horford has never played back-to-back games, Porzingis has played only 15 games since he was acquired at the trade deadline.
Porzingis, who has dealt with an illness for nearly two years, remains hopeful that he can log more minutes for the Warriors if they can survive the play-in game.
“I think each game is a little bit better,” Porzingis said. “Obviously, it’s not perfect from the get go, but, but also, we barely got any time together, you know, it’s just hard to develop, you know? Some crazy place playing only 14 minutes together [with Curry].”
“… I wish we had more time. Maybe we can make more time. So it’s in our hands.”
If the Warriors lose on Wednesday, they’d miss the playoffs for the second time in three years, following their disastrous 2024 play-in game loss to the Sacramento Kings. That result led to Klay Thompson’s departure to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors vs. Clippers play-in game will tip off at 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday. While the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention, the winner will face the loser of the seventh vs. eighth seed battle between the Suns and Trail Blazers.
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