Steve Kerr said it himself.
There wasn’t much for either team to glean from Sunday night’s regular-season finale between the Warriors and Clippers. The teams will meet again with far higher stakes in three days, meaning neither coach wanted to show his hand in a 115-110 loss to LA.
“Wednesday will be much different, for sure,” Kerr said before tipoff.
Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Draymond Green (back) were both ruled out before tipoff, while the teams’ remaining rotation regulars mostly went through the motions for 48 minutes while their fates were determined by a game 1,500 miles up the coast in Portland.
Both players are expected to return to their starting lineups for Wednesday’s win-or-go-home rematch, which became official with the Trail Blazers’ 122-110 win over the Kings.
As expected, Steph Curry played his heaviest load of minutes since returning from a 27-game absence with a knee injury. He finished with 24 in 29 minutes, setting him to play as much as necessary with the Warriors’ season on the line Wednesday.
Without Green, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford both started alongside Curry, Brandin Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton in the Warriors’ 43rd different starting five of the season.
Porzingis missed all four 3s he attempted and finished with 12 points in 24 minutes. Horford was held to two field goals — one for 2 and one for 3 — for a quiet five points in 19 minutes. Both big men were outshined by Charles Bassey, who scored in double digits for the third straight game with 16.
“We know we’re going to have to put together a good four quarters on Wednesday,” Kerr said. “Tonight [was] another chance to make a step in that direction. But again, it’s different. It’s a different feeling when the result doesn’t matter.”
What it means
The Warriors finished the regular season 37-45, their second-worst record in 12 seasons under Kerr. Their only worse finish came in 2019-20, when Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant all missed most of the season.
Before the game, Kerr contrasted the two seasons.
“I think the expectations were higher for us this year than they were [in 2019-20] after losing Andre [Iguodala], Shaun Livingston, Kevin Durant. It’s a different vibe going into that year,” Kerr said. “This year I think the high hopes were there coming off last year’s run, having Jimmy [Butler] on our team. … When you see two guys go down midseason and it impacts not only this season but the next one, that’s about as tough as it gets. It for sure has been a very difficult season.”
Turning point
Trying to build chemistry in a group that hasn’t played together much, if at all, for the entire season, the Warriors survived two more injury scares with their regulars on the floor despite the outcome carrying little meaning.
After Curry rolled his ankle Friday in Sacramento, Podziemski was forced out of action early Sunday when he appeared to take a knee to his thigh on a drive to the hoop.
Podziemski, playing his 82nd game of the season, hobbled to the bench and received treatment. But he was quickly back in the game to finish a team-best plus-16 in 21 minutes.
Curry was also the recipient of a hard forearm from Benedict Mathurin as he attempted to back his way into the paint. The move sent Curry falling to the floor, clearly unpleased, and technical fouls were doled out to Gary Payton II and Mathurin for the brief scrum that followed.
MVP: Steph Curry
The best news for the Warriors from Sunday’s game was that Curry looked like himself after two quiet games and rolling his ankle their last time out. He lacked the theatrics of his 29-point performance in his first game back against the Rockets but turned in probably his best all-around effort.
Stat of the game: 99
The total number of minutes logged by Bassey, Nate Williams, Malevy Leons, Pat Spencer, Seth Curry and Will Richard. Some of the end-of-rotation players will factor into Wednesday’s game, but if their minutes come anything close to Sunday, the Warriors are in trouble.
The six players combined to post a minus-83.
Up next
The Warriors’ postseason push begins Wednesday.
Same opponent. Same venue. Different stakes.
They’ll have to beat the Clippers in Inglewood and win another elimination game on the road against either the No. 7 Suns or No. 8 Blazers to earn a date with the defending champion Thunder in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
