Dubs’ ticket to playoffs requires luggage usually left behind originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO – All the necessities required for the Warriors’ journey to Sacramento were lined in a neat row on the Chase Center loading dock Thursday afternoon, footlockers and duffel bags tagged, except for that which is essential to a successful trip.
If their defense is not packed and zipped, the Warriors might be back at Chase quicker than they’d like. As soon as Tuesday – to host a play-in game.
To avoid that fate, the Warriors (42-38) will have to beat the Kings (49-31) Friday night at Golden 1 Center and then beat the Trail Blazers on Sunday in Portland.
“When you win, let things lay where they lay and then we’ll go from there,” Donte DiVincenzo said Thursday after practice.
Winning against the Kings has not been this difficult since 2005, their last 50-win season. Nowadays, playing at Golden 1 means facing a vociferous crowd and a powerhouse offense. The Kings lead the NBA in offensive rating (119.1) and scoring (121.3 points per game) and are second in field-goal percentage (49.6).
Point guard De’Aaron Fox has been the league’s most consistent producer in the clutch. Center Domantas Sabonis is the top rebounder in the NBA and is second, behind reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, in triple-doubles. Rookie forward Keegan Murray is shooting 41.6 percent from deep, shooting guard Kevin Huerter is at 40.1 percent and power forward Harrison Barnes is at 36.7.
“They’ve got a playmaking center in Sabonis,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s tough to guard. And they surround Sabonis with not only shooting but one of the fastest point guards in the league in De’Aaron Fox. You’ve got all those threats at once. De’Aaron can get to the rim as well as anybody. You’ve got Sabonis as the fulcrum of that DHO offense and you’ve got shooting all over the floor.”
And the Warriors have a defense that, when on the road, has had more holes than a dozen donut shops.
The same team that limits opponents to 45.0 percent shooting at Chase gives it up at 49.6 percent on the road. The same team that limits opponents to 33.1 percent shooting beyond the arc (third-best in the NBA) at home allows them to stroke it at 40.3 percent (second worst) on the road.
Such numbers explain why Golden State was 33-8 at home and 9-30 on the road – the second-worst home/road split since the NBA-ABA merger 47 years ago, when Kerr was 10 years old.
Eighty games into their championship defense, not a soul among Golden State’s players and coaches has been able to articulate the reasons behind such a dramatic disparity.
“We go through fundamentals,” Kerr said, a startling acknowledgment for a reigning champion. “We go through film. We go through scheme, what we’re going to try to do against each team.
“Probably the biggest one for us is lineup combinations. We know have some different options … we haven’t really been able to see what that would look like.”
That’s because first among the “different options” is Gary Payton II, who did not make his first appearance with the Warriors until March 26 and has been on the floor for only one road game, at Denver last Sunday.
Second is Andrew Wiggins, who last played on Feb. 13 and won’t play Friday in Sacramento or Sunday in Portland.
Payton can be deployed immediately, while Wiggins, after missing seven weeks, will have to wait until his conditioning is ready for the NBA.
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So, the Warriors will go on the road with what they have. They’ll confront the upstart Kings, and the Blazers, who have zero incentive, for the only prize remaining in the regular season.
To remain among the top six teams in the Western Conference, thereby completely avoiding the play-in tournament. That’s where the Warriors landed two seasons ago, and they were bounced before the playoffs.
“I’m well aware that the easiest thing to do is just win two games,” Kerr said. “Otherwise, we’re going to need some help.”
If the Warriors bring enough defense to carry them through the weekend, they won’t need help. There won’t be a game at Chase until the week of April 17, by which time Wiggins should be available and they’ll be whole.