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The Warriors entered the play-in tournament in the West after the Suns beat the Clippers Originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors' ambitious goal of finishing sixth in the Western Conference officially ended on Wednesday night when the Phoenix won The Suns beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 124-108 in Crypto.com arena.
Golden State (44-35) is now locked in Championship play in the Western Conferencealthough they still have a chance to improve their ranking from 10th place, where they currently stand.
The Los Angeles Lakers (45-35) also qualified for the championship thanks to the Suns' victory over the Clippers.
Golden State and the Lakers head into the game with a win for the Suns. They cannot finish higher than seventh.
— Hardwood Bout (@HPbasketball) April 11, 2024
The Warriors are now 2 1/2 games behind the No. 7 seed Suns, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker, so even if they finish with an identical 47-35 record, Golden State won't make it. It surpasses Phoenix in the rankings.
Entering Thursday's road game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Warriors trail Lakers by half a game and trail the Sacramento Kings by one full game.
While the Warriors are favorites to beat the Trail Blazers at Moda Center, the Kings have a tough matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have won their previous four matchups against Sacramento this season. The Lakers are inactive on Thursday.
So, the Warriors have a chance to get into a record-breaking three-way showdown with the Lakers and Kings before Friday, when all three teams play.
The Warriors are in a tiebreaker over the Lakers, while the Kings are in a tiebreaker over both the Warriors and Lakers.
The battle for championship position is drawing to a close, with each match carrying immense meaning.
But for now, the Warriors know that even if they win, they won't be able to climb into the top six in the West to guarantee a first-round NBA playoff series.
They'll have to win one or two Games are played in a single-elimination system In order to secure the first round series.
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