Steph Curry rallies Warriors’ playoff push: "We have a pulse, that’s all we need"

Warriors News:

Steph Curry on the Warriors’ recent playoff push: “We have a pulse, and that’s all we need”

Thompson: Warriors might be finding their optimal form, just when they need it most | The Athletic

They can’t just be a Curry show, a sentiment Steve Kerr shouted from the rooftops when he recently sat Curry a little longer in a close loss in Minnesota. They must be a malleable group, difficult to decipher and quick to adjust.

This is how they can pull off the deep playoff run their convictions won’t relinquish. The variety in their approach. The relentlessness of their options. They need everything clicking, or at least enough on a given night.

Warriors locked into West play-in tournament after Suns beat Clippers | NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors’ ambitious goal of reaching the Western Conference’s No. 6 officially ended Wednesday night when the Phoenix Suns beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 124-108 at Crypto.com Arena.

Golden State (44-35) now is locked into the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, though it still has a chance to improve its seeding from No. 10, where it currently sits.

The Los Angeles Lakers (45-35) also are locked into the play-in tournament by virtue of the Suns’ win over the Clippers.

LeBron James on Steph Curry off ball: “Steph is most dangerous when he doesn’t have the ball”

Steve Kerr congratulates Stanford Women’s Basketball Coach Tara VanDerveer following her retirement

NBA News:

Sources: A-Rod, Lore eyed Wolves payroll cuts, concerning Taylor | ESPN

Minnesota is on course to have the league’s fourth-highest payroll for the 2024-25 season at $198 million — including three maximum contract players — and it’s difficult to map out a roster with that deep of a cut without trading one of the franchise’s key players.

Their payroll will place them $27 million over the luxury tax and would exceed the second apron once free agency begins in July. As owner, Taylor has paid the luxury tax in four different seasons, including most recently in 2019-20. He has paid a total of $25 million in luxury tax in his span as owner.

There had been questions about Lore and Rodriguez’s ability to purchase and operate the Timberwolves as a tax-paying team in one of the league’s lowest revenue markets, although as minority partners they did approve of contract extensions for Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley in recent months that assuredly would raise the team’s future payroll, sources said.

Adam Silver: Raptors’ Jontay Porter could face permanent ban | ESPN

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday afternoon that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter, who is under investigation by the league following multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months, could be banned permanently if what he’s accused of is true, calling it a “cardinal sin.”

“I have an enormous range of discipline available to me,” Silver said at a midtown Manhattan hotel, after the league’s annual board of governors meetings. “But it’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game.

“That’s the level of authority I have here. Because there’s nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe.”

Celtics and guard Jrue Holiday agree to a four-year, $135 million extension

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

The New Orleans Pelicans control the Warriors’ playoff destiny

The Pelicans are currently sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference, a game up on the Phoenix Suns. But their last three games are against teams whose records will have a huge impact on the Warriors’ seeding: The Lakers, the Sacramento Kings, and most important, the Golden State Warriors.

First of all, the Warriors need to win out. They face the Utah Jazz, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Pelicans. No offense to Brice Sensabaugh or Dalano Banton, but the Pelicans are easily the most imposing final opponent remaining for the Dubs. It’d be a big help if the Pelicans could find their way to drop that game Friday in San Francisco.

Standings update, April 10

The Kings end the season with three home games: Thursday against the Pelicans, Friday against the Suns, and Sunday against the Blazers. If the Kings win two or three of those games, the Warriors will finish behind them. But if Sacramento goes just 1-2, the Warriors would leap over the Kings with a perfect end to the season. And if the Kings go winless in their final contests, the Warriors will pass them by going 2-1. Sacramento hasn’t been playing great basketball lately, as they’re 3-5 in their last eight games ... so the door is open, though unlike with the Lakers, the Warriors need some help to get past the Kings.

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