Warriors begin most important week of 2024-25 NBA season vs. Grizzlies – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

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Drama until the very last day. 

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is getting his wish. As a handful of teams are packing their bags with four-leaf clovers in hopes of losing enough to win the NBA draft lottery, a number of spots remain up for grabs in the standings. The Warriors’ regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center could decide which of the two teams are in the playoffs as opposed to the play-in tournament. 

April 13 also can’t be top of mind for the Warriors. At least not yet. 

The week ahead can see the Warriors, currently the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, rise or fall with four games against teams ahead of them in the standings. It already began Monday for teams like the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. For the Warriors, the first stop on this litmus test is FedExForum in Memphis on Tuesday night. 

“Big game coming against Memphis. We’ll be well-rested and in rhythm for that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday night to reporters in San Antonio after their 42-point win against the Spurs. “Big stretch coming.” 

The Grizzlies now have lost three straight games. They’re 0-2 under interim coach Tuomas Iiasalo after Taylor Jenkins’ shocking exit, losing Monday night to the Boston Celtics 117-103. If the Warriors (43-31) beat the Grizzlies (44-31), playing on the second night of a back-to-back, they’ll be a half-game ahead of them as the No. 5 seed in the West. 

A win also would make the Warriors 3-1 against the Grizzlies this season, giving them the tiebreaker between the two teams. 

“If we can beat Memphis, we get the tiebreaker over them, that’s huge” Kerr acknowledged. “We’re right there with the Clippers. The Lakers are only a couple ahead. We got them after, so it’s quite a race going down the stretch. 

“We have a difficult schedule. Our last eight games are pretty tough. We’re going to have to continue to play well.”

The No. 5 through No. 8 seed in the West, with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, are separated by one game. 

5) Grizzlies…

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Publish date : 2025-04-01 07:44:00

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