The Western Conference is a powerhouse once again, and the Warriors are suffering from the consequences.
Golden State is 45-36 with one game remaining in the season and is just the 10th-best team in the West. A 44-win season would have tied for the No. 4 seed last season.
Stephen Curry leads a familiar cast with Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. Chris Paul joined the team in the offseason, serving as a backcourt pairing to rookie Brandin Podziemski off the bench. Jonathan Kuminga has been the major difference for this year's Warriors from previous editions. The third-year forward is averaging 16.3 points per game, up from 9.9 last season.
Despite Kuminga's development alongside rookies Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Warriors are just sneaking into postseason play and will likely need to battle through the Play-In Tournament to continue their dynasty.
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Warriors playoff scenarios 2024
The Warriors are currently the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, a drop from last season's No. 6 finish. They are locked into a spot in the Play-In Tournament, with the potential to finish as high as the No. 8 seed, but the chances are slim.
The probability of reaching the No. 8 seed is 9.3 percent, according to Basketball Reference's Playoff Probabilities Report.
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Warriors Play-In Tournament tiebreakers, explained
Tiebreakers play a significant role in the final standings, so here's how they look from the Warriors' perspective:
- Suns 3, Warriors 1
- Warriors 3, Lakers 1
- Kings 2, Warriors 2: Kings own division tiebreaker record
- Pelicans 2, Warriors 1
Here was the probability for each seed before the April 14 slate of games.
- No. 8: 9.3 percent
- No. 9: 44.2 percent
- No. 10: 46.5 percent
If the seeding stays as is, the Warriors would play the Lakers in the first round of the Play-In Tournament and the winner of Suns vs. Kings in the second round.
Warriors standings 2024
The Warriors are locked in as a top-10 seed in the Western Conference.
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1 | Thunder | 56-25 | — |
| 2 | Timberwolves | 56-25 | — |
| 3 | Nuggets | 56-25 | — |
| 4 | Clippers | 51-30 | 5 |
| 5 | Mavericks | 50-31 | 6 |
| 6 | Pelicans | 49-32 | 7 |
| 7 | Suns | 48-33 | 8 |
| 8 | Lakers | 46-35 | 10 |
| 9 | Kings | 45-36 | 11 |
| 10 | Warriors | 45-36 | 11 |
Warriors remaining schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| April 14 | vs. Utah | 3:30 p.m. |
How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?
The Play-In Tournament will begin following the regular season before the playoffs. The top six seeds in each conference are exempt as they have secured a playoff spot already.
The 7-10 seeds will play for the final two spots in the postseason. The tournament doesn't follow the traditional series-based rounds. It's one game per round.
Round 1
- Game 1: No. 8 seed at No. 7 seed
- Game 2: No. 10 seed at No. 9 seed
Round 2
- Game 3: Winner of Game 2 at Loser of Game 1
The winner of Game 1 moves on as the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, while the loser will have a chance at redemption. The winner of Game 2 will play the loser of Game 1.
The loser of Game 2 is immediately eliminated from contention.
The Game 3 winner will become the No. 8 seed, knocking out the loser.
