Recent losses have placed the Golden State Warriors’ playoff aspirations in a precarious position.
Sunday’s game against the Timberwolves ended with a 114-110 defeat for the Warriors, marking their second straight loss in the Western Conference.
Draymond Green, the seasoned Golden State Warriors forward, expressed a striking indifference to the Houston Rockets’ success.
When questioned about tracking the Rockets’ performance in the race for the last playoff spot in the West, Green defiantly responded, “I don’t give a damn about the Rockets.” This comment, made on Sunday, has created quite a buzz among NBA followers.
“I don’t give a damn about the Rockets.”
– Draymond Green
(h/t @BradeauxNBA )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 25, 2024
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been steadily gaining momentum in the Western Conference.
Ensuring eight straight victories, the Rockets are only one game behind Golden State in the standings.
In the Sunday’s loss to the Wolves, Green performed impressively, registering 12 points and eight rebounds.
While Green claims the Warriors should’ve won that game, this statement contradicts their recent struggling form evident in the last two matches.
Despite Green’s nonchalance, Warriors’ star Stephen Curry keeps a cautious eye on the standings.
“Every game matters,” Curry said Sunday, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “We’re inching closer to the other end of the standings.”
Steph Curry: “The situation will define itself pretty clearly. It is in real time. Every game matters. We’re inching closer to the other end of the standings. Nobody’s gonna wave the white flag. If that means playing more minutes, I’ll be ready to do that.” pic.twitter.com/om2Mm8hZal
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 25, 2024
He led the team with 31 points in Sunday’s loss. Warrior’s defensive breakdowns worsened significantly when Curry was off-court.
During the 18 minutes without Curry, the Warriors were outscored by a staggering 10 points.
Addressing the Warriors’ struggles, head coach Steve Kerr rightly stated that they “can’t expect to just ride Steph” into the playoffs.
“We’ve put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years,” Kerr said. “If you want to say that him playing 30 minutes instead of 32 is a difference in a win and a loss, I totally disagree with that.”
Curry has expressed readiness to up his game time to help secure a playoff spot for the struggling Warriors.
The competition between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets is heating up in the run for the Western Conference’s playoff spot.
Currently, the Warriors’ record in the last 10 games is an uninspiring 4-6.
With the Rockets maintaining their hot streak, a shift in seeding by April seems drammatically possible.
