Despite making some changes to the roster this past offseason, which obviously included trading franchise cornerstone Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors got off to a surprisingly fast start to kick off this 2024-25 NBA season.
With a 112-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on November 22, Steph Curry & Co. improved to 12-3 and sat atop the Western Conference standings, holding a slim lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were 12-4 at the time.
Since then, of course, things have taken a turn for Golden State.
While the Thunder have gone 23-3 over the last two months and currently own the top spot in the West at 35-7, the Warriors have lost 17 of their last 26 and enter the second half of their season with a record of 21-20.
As such, the Dubs sit in 11th place in the conference, which currently has them on the outside looking in as it pertains to the Play-In Tournament.
The Phoenix Suns own the same 21-20 mark but own the tiebreaker over Golden State due to having a better record within the Pacific Division (5-4 to 1-6), thus putting them in the 10th position.
While every season is obviously different, the Warriors can take solace in the fact that despite their recent struggles, they're actually in a better position than they were a year ago at this time.
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The Warriors are in better shape at the halfway point than they were a year ago
At the midway point of their 2023-24 campaign, the Warriors were 19-22 after 41 games and sat in 12th place in the Western Conference standings.
Over the second half of the season, however, Golden State went 27-14 to finish at 46-36, which was good enough for a ninth-place finish. Unfortunately for Steve Kerr's squad, they lasted just one game in the Play-In Tournament, losing the 9 vs. 10 matchup to the Sacramento Kings by a score of 118-94.
So, again, the Warriors are actually in a better spot than they were a year ago at the halfway point.
And despite being in 11th place at the moment, it's not as if they can't quickly climb up the standings if they can string some wins together. While the Thunder are in clear control of the West, it's pretty tight from the second spot on down.
Team | Record | Win Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma City Thunder | 35-7 | .833 | — |
Houston Rockets | 28-13 | .683 | 6.5 |
Memphis Grizzlies | 27-15 | .643 | 8 |
Denver Nuggets | 26-16 | .619 | 9 |
LA Clippers | 24-17 | .585 | 10.5 |
LA Lakers | 22-18 | .550 | 12 |
Dallas Mavericks | 23-19 | .548 | 12 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 22-20 | .524 | 13 |
Sacramento Kings | 22-20 | .524 | 13 |
Phoenix Suns | 21-20 | .512 | 13.5 |
Golden State Warriors | 21-20 | .512 | 13.5 |
As you can see, the difference between second place and 11th place is only seven games. And the Warriors are only three back of the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
So, if Golden State can put together the same type of second half it did a year ago, this team should be able to avoid the Play-In Tournament altogether.
That's easier said than done, of course, but the overall point is that while the Warriors are nowhere near elite status, they're still in solid shape heading into their final 41 games.