The Golden State Warriors don't have much time to celebrate finally getting a win on the road.
After all, they were expected to beat the bottom-dwelling Houston Rockets at Toyota Center despite entering Monday's action on an 11-game losing streak away from home. Golden State's first road win since January 30th wasn't all that convincing, either. The defending champs were locked in a tight battle with basketball's second-youngest team until finally getting some separation in the fourth quarter, then almost squandered it by committing multiple careless turnovers late—a continuation of their game-long struggles taking care of the ball.
Steph Curry, Anthony Lamb and hair-grabbing turnover issues highlight reactions from the Dubs' much-needed victory in Houston.
(via @armstrongwinter)https://t.co/kIdcSE4hFP
— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) March 21, 2023
Even hitting their elusive two-way peak against the Rockets wouldn't mean the Warriors could rest on their laurels, not with an overcrowded Western Conference playoff race heating up even further as April fast approaches.
As Wednesday's pivotal matchup against the Dallas Mavericks looms, Klay Thompson discussed the importance of Golden State finishing the regular season strong.
“Well as a competitor you relish in the moments of the most important games, and we're coming down to the home stretch. Every game is so vital for our playoff stakes. It's exciting times,” he said after the Warriors' 121-108 win over the Rockets. “The postseason, there's nothing like it, and these last seven or eight [games] will be great warmup for the most competitive basketball out there.”
Golden State is currently sixth in the West at 37-36, half-game ahead of Dallas. Wednesday's game at American Airlines Center won't just decide who leaves it above the play-in tournament line, but also the head-to-head tie-breaker between the Warriors and Mavericks after the teams split their previous two meetings in 2022-23.
Luka Doncic could be back for Dallas after missing the last five games with a quad injury, and Kyrie Irving is still dealing with nagging pain in his right foot. No matter who's available for the Mavericks, though, rest assured Thompson and company will come ready to play on Wednesday, fully aware of the postseason stakes at hand.
The only question now is if the Warriors have actually put debilitating road woes behind them.
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