Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors finished their regular season well, but they now face a difficult situation where they must win their next two Play-In games on the road in order to guarantee a spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
In the final stages of the season, the Warriors had demonstrated promise and set themselves up for a possible top-eight spot. But on Friday at Chase Center, they were defeated 114-109 by the New Orleans Pelicans, leaving their hopes completely crushed.
The Warriors’ loss to the Pelicans is especially painful because of a sharp change in momentum in the second quarter, as they gave up a double-digit lead and were outscored 38-15 in the last nine minutes of the half.
Even though the second quarter collapse was evident, rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis was underutilized, which is alarming given his significant performance.
In his 22 minutes on the court, Jackson-Davis recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, good for a +12 rating. But he didn’t play much in the pivotal fourth quarter, a decision Coach Steve Kerr later expressed remorse about prior to Sunday’s game against the Jazz.
“That’s one of those things where you just weigh your options and make your decisions in the game, but to be perfectly frank, I wish I’d played Trayce a little bit more.”
Kerr’s decision to limit Jackson-Davis’ minutes against the Pelicans could be costly as the Warriors now face a tough fight after just losing out on the eighth spot.
In his 21 minutes of action against the Jazz, Jackson-Davis finished with eight points but had trouble grabbing rebounds. He and several other important players took a lot of the second half off as the club prepared for the upcoming Play-In Tournament.
Jackson-Davis, who was selected 57th overall the previous season, is expected to be crucial to the Warriors’ preparation for their matchup with the Sacramento Kings, especially in restraining All-Star center Domantas Sabonis.
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