The next time the Warriors lace ‘em up at Chase Center, the stakes will be much higher. For the first time in the building’s history, it will be the site of a first-round NBA playoff game
On Thursday night, Golden State wrapped up its home slate in the regular season with a relatively breezy 128-112 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
It marked the Lakers’ first game since being eliminated in the playoffs so there wasn’t a major sense of urgency. The Warriors sleepwalked their way through the first half but still led by three on a night when LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook were sidelined. Golden State ran away with the game in the third quarter but there simply wasn’t the same vibe as the previous couple of games against the playoff-bound Utah Jazz or Phoenix Suns.
Following a weekend back-to-back on the road to wrap up the regular season, the Warriors will be back either April 16 or April 17. Third-year guard Jordan Poole said he’s not sure what to expect from the postseason.
“I’m not sure,” Poole said. “It’s my first time. It’ll be exciting. Hopefully the energy’s electric and we get to find ways to take care of homecourt advantage.”
Poole’s 17-game streak of scoring at least 20 points came to an end, as he fell one point shy with 19. But he dished out a career-high 11 assists and continued to show he’s evolving into a true combo guard as opposed to just a pure scorer.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr noted how Poole had seven assists at halftime but just five field goals at that point.
“Jordan was really patient tonight, especially in that first half,” Kerr said. “Really trying to play that facilitator role.”
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Of Poole’s 11 assists, only three of them came on 3-pointers. On the others, he was usually able to attract defenders before setting them up for easy buckets in the lane.
Andre Iguodala said it’s a matter of Poole getting more game experience and more reps. Iguodala also relayed the advice that he likes to tell Poole and Klay Thompson when their on the floor.
“You’re the first, second and third option,” Iguodala said. “Just know that. If you don’t get the ball it's because you drew two people and we scored because of you. You just gotta start realizing that. The game is really easy.”
Speaking of Klay, he dropped 33 points on 12-of-22 shooting while earning praise from Kerr. His coach has been harping on Klay to stay more patient and wait for good, natural looks.
“I thought it was Klay’s best game,” Kerr said. “I know he’s scored more, but just in terms of shot selection. … I thought he took two bad shots the whole game out of 22. I thought he took 20 great shots and he moved the ball on. When he wasn’t open, he just passed it.”
Klay agreed with his coach’s assessment.
“Only turnover and I was taking great shots within the flow of the offense and not forcing anything,” Thompson said. “Made one or two made shots, but I thought I did a great job tonight. … I feel like myself. It’s been encouraging.”
Whether the Dubs will finish as the Western Conference’s No. 3 or No. 4 seed and whether they host the Denver Nuggets or Utah Jazz remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure: the playoffs are coming to Chase Center. And soon.
