Where Warriors, Kings now stand in Western Conference playoff picture
Where Warriors, Kings now stand in Western Conference playoff picture originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors made up ground, but the Kings stumbled in the tight and ever-changing Western Conference playoff picture Friday night.
In the early game window, the short-handed Warriors routed the Charlotte Hornets 115-97 at Spectrum Center, led by 23 points from Steph Curry, 20 points from Andrew Wiggins and 18 points from rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Golden State, which holds the final play-in tournament spot, improved to 39-34 with the win and closed the gap on the ninth-place Los Angeles Lakers to 1.5 games. The Warriors also maintained their one-game lead on the hard-charging Houston Rockets, who beat the Utah Jazz 101-100.
Later in the evening, at Golden 1 Center, the Kings blew a 15-point lead and lost their second consecutive game to the Dallas Mavericks 107-103. All five Sacramento starters scored in double figures, but Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic were too much to handle down the stretch.
The loss dropped the Kings from seventh to eighth in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Phoenix Suns, who lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the night.
Here’s the updated Western Conference standings through Friday’s NBA action:
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Minnesota Timberwolves: 51-22
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Oklahoma City Thunder: 51-22
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Denver Nuggets: 51-23
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LA Clippers: 46-27
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New Orleans Pelicans: 45-28
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Dallas Mavericks: 44-29
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT SPOTS
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Phoenix Suns: 43-31
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Sacramento Kings: 42-31
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Los Angeles Lakers: 41-33
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Golden State Warriors: 39-34
IN CONTENTION
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Houston Rockets: 38-35
ELIMINATED
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Utah Jazz: 29-45
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Memphis Grizzlies: 24-49
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Portland Trail Blazers: 19-55
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San Antonio Spurs: 18-56
The Warriors and Kings both are off Saturday before returning to action Sunday. Golden State wraps up its road trip against San Antonio at 4 p.m. PT, while Sacramento hosts Utah at 6 p.m. PT.