Is the glory days of the Golden State Warriors around superstar Stephen Curry (36) finally over?
In the NBA Play-In tournament, the team from California quietly failed against the Sacramento Kings with 94:118. The game was about preserving the playoff chances. The defeat confirms Golden State’s disappointing season (tenth in the Western Conference). Very few people would have expected them to be successful in the playoffs.
Nevertheless, the significant defeat comes as quite a surprise given all of the Warriors’ playoff experience. It was a total failure for the top stars! Curry was still the best scorer on the team with 22 points, but still remained below his season average (26.4 points).
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Curry’s teammate Klay Thompson (34) showed a historically poor performance. Thompson is one of the best throwers in NBA history. However, against the Kings he missed all ten of his attempts. Zero points! The best thrower in the whole game was Kings star Keegan Murray (23) with 32 points. The Kings now have to play against the New Orleans Pelicans. If they win the game, they will be in the playoffs.
The Warriors are THE dominant team of the last decade. They won the NBA title four times between 2015 and 2022. Curry, Thompson and Co. became legends of the league over the years. In the last five years, Golden State missed the playoffs three times. A change seems to be imminent.
Lakers make it into the playoffs
The second play-in game was much more exciting. The Los Angeles Lakers around top stars LeBron James (39) and Anthony Davis (31) made it into the playoffs with a 110:106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
James (23 points) was the Lakers’ best scorer. However, the best scorer on the pitch was Pelicans star Zion Williamson (23), who showed an outstanding performance with 40 points. But this was overshadowed by an injury. Williamson had to leave the pitch three minutes before the end because, according to coach Willie Green (42), he had “pain in his left leg”.
The Pelicans had just equalized when Williamson had to come down. Maybe more would have been possible with him on the pitch.
The Lakers will face the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. The Pelicans still have a chance to qualify. They can still make the playoffs with a win against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
2024-04-17 08:21:23
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