The Golden State Warriors employed Harrison Barnes way back when. On Wednesday, he did some major damage to their playoff chances.
Now with the San Antonio Spurs, Barnes sank an off-balance, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to stun the Warriors in the Chase Center and push them to seventh place in the Western Conference at 47-33. The Spurs mobbed Barnes after the shot.
It’s been nearly a decade since the Warriors won their breakthrough title with Barnes at small forward, with the team cycling through Kevin Durant, Andrew Wiggins and now Jimmy Butler at the position in the time since.
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The Warriors entered the game with a 21-3 record with both Stephen Curry and Butler in the lineup, making them one of the hottest teams in a crowded middle of the West playoff field. The Spurs, still without Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, weren’t supposed to be as big a challenge as some other matchups.
It looked like the Warriors had the win in hand with a 12-point lead to open the fourth quarter, but a quick Spurs run made it a game again after just a few minutes and then, well, weird stuff can happen in a playoff race.
Harrison Barnes just pushed the Warriors to the brink of the NBA play-in tournament. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Western Conference standings after April 9
1. Oklahoma City Thunder, 66-14
2. Houston Rockets, 52-28 (14 games back)
3. Los Angeles Lakers, 49-31 (17 GB)
4. Denver Nuggets, 48-32 (18 GB)
5. Los Angeles Clippers, 48-32 (18 GB)
6. Memphis Grizzlies, 47-32 (18.5 GB)
7. Golden State Warriors, 47-33 (19 GB)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves, 46-33 (19.5 GB)
9. Sacramento Kings, 39-41 (27 GB)
10. Dallas Mavericks, 38-42 (28 GB)
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The 10 teams who will make the play-in tournament or better were officially set on Wednesday with the elimination of the Phoenix Suns with their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The top two teams and the lower play-in game are also pretty much nailed down. The Thunder and Houston Rockets will face play-in teams in the first round, while the Kings and Mavericks will play an elimination game on April 16.
It’s those six spots in between that are a total mess. The Lakers won in Dallas to stay a game ahead of the peloton, with the Nuggets and Clippers both also notching wins to stay right behind them. The Grizzlies and Timberwolves were both off Wednesday.
And now the Warriors sit in seventh, on track for a play-in game. In the loss column, they are a game behind the four teams they need to keep pace with to ensure a first-round berth, with only two more games to play in the regular season.
Here’s how each of those six teams’ schedules end:
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Lakers: Rockets, @ Blazers
Nuggets: Grizzlies, @ Rockets
Clippers: @ Kings, @ Warriors
Grizzlies: Timberwolves, @ Nuggets, Mavericks
Warriors: @ Blazers, Clippers
Timberwolves: @ Grizzlies, Nets, Jazz
The challenge is fairly simple. Win the last two or three games, and you avoid the play-in tournament. It should make for a fun weekend.
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