Get the popcorn ready, the Warriors’ biggest game of the NBA regular season is coming up.
On Friday, Golden State, on a two-game losing streak and hanging on to the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference by half a game, will visit the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
With 10 games remaining in the regular season, coach Steve Kerr recognizes what’s on the line come Friday.
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“ … I think Friday is the biggest game of the year for us,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors loss on Tuesday.
“We’ve lost two games in a row, very poor performances. It’s time. We got to bounce back, and that’s what good teams do. And I’m confident that we will do that.”
After starting a six-game road trip on a bad note – especially considering star guard Steph Curry’s injury absence – the Warriors are in a pressure situation to right the ship.
As it stands, Golden State boasts a 41-31 record, 2 1/2 games behind No. 5 seed Los Angeles Lakers and half a game above the Los Angeles Clippers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Warriors veteran forward Draymond Green, who is no stranger to making memorable late-season and playoff runs, echoed Kerr’s call to action.
“Come out and play well, “Green said on what the Warriors should do against the Pelicans.
Logically, the last thing any member of the Warriors wants is to spiral in the dying weeks of the season.
“[You] lose two in a row, you don’t want to spiral,” Green added. “This is the wrong time of the year to spiral, so we got to come out and take care of this road trip, moving in the right direction.
“We’re 0-2 to start this trip. We need to make sure to right the ship.”
On the bright side, the Warriors are unbeaten against the Pelicans this season. Could Kerr and Co.’s biggest game of the season also result in a sweep?