The Golden State Warriors scored a pivotal 134-120 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday because the race to climb above the second play-in line appears prefer it’ll come all the way down to what transpires throughout the remaining 5 days of the common season.
With the season set to conclude this Sunday, the Warriors are at the moment No. 10 however management their very own future to complete no less than above the Lakers for No. 9 as they’ve now clinched the season tiebreaker. Catching the Kings for the No. 8 seed, which might give them two photographs to safe one win for a playoff spot, is inside an inexpensive attain as Sacramento leads Golden State by an efficient two video games (Sacramento is up by one loss however owns the tiebreaker) with three to play.
The Kings additionally lead the Lakers by an efficient two video games as they’ve cliched that tiebreaker as properly.
All of which is to say, it’s wanting an increasing number of seemingly that the Warriors will face the Lakers in a one-and-done elimination recreation because the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds. It is only a matter of who will get to play that recreation at residence, and the Warriors took an enormous step towards securing that benefit with their win on Tuesday by flattening 26 3-pointers at a scorching 63.4% clip (26 for 41).
Over the course of NBA historical past, a group has made no less than 22 3-pointers in a recreation 237 occasions. Not one has accomplished so at the next share than Golden State simply did. The 26 3s is three off the NBA report of 29 held by the Milwaukee Bucks, who set the mark towards Miami in 2020, and one off the Warriors’ franchise excessive of 27, which they notched towards Portland final April and in 2021 towards Oklahoma Metropolis.
Solely the Rockets, who hit 27 triples towards Utah final month, have made extra 3s in a recreation this season, and Golden State’s 26 is essentially the most 3s the Lakers have given up in franchise historical past.
“I did not really feel like we performed that properly, however we made 1,000,000 threes,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned. “I did not suppose we have been sharp. Lot of possessions the place we weren’t fairly locked in, or our passing was astray and we have been a bit disjointed, however the ball saved getting in. And Draymond [Green] going 5 for five in a half, you do not see that usually. All people bought going, and to shoot 63 % from three, that is loopy.”
To Kerr’s level, everyone was feeling it for Golden State. As Kerr famous, Draymond Inexperienced hit his first 5 3s out of the gate and completed 5 for 7 from deep. Inexperienced has been a way more assured shooter this yr and has made 38% of his 3s, albeit on low quantity, however the 5 he made on Tuesday are the identical quantity of 3s that he had remodeled the earlier two weeks, and essentially the most he is made in a single recreation since 2017.
In the meantime, Stephen Curry made all six of his 3s. Klay Thompson, who’s slightly quietly taking pictures over 41% from 3 on over 9 makes an attempt per recreation since March 1, made 5 of his 10, whereas Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins and Brandin Podziemski completed a mixed 8 of 11 from past the arc. Chris Paul and Jonathan Kuminga every chipped in with one.
“They’d guys step up and hit photographs,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham mentioned. “It is a make-or-miss league … We really feel snug with our recreation plan and for essentially the most half we executed it … The fellows you wished taking pictures the ball made their photographs … They have been blazing sizzling.”
