The Golden State Warriors are the Western Conference's No. 8 seed entering the NBA's first Play-In Tournament, and they will take on the Los Angeles Lakers in a must-watch matchup Wednesday night.
The Dubs clinched their seeding with a 113-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. If they had lost to the Grizzlies on Sunday, the Grizzlies would have earned the No. 8 seed and the Warriors would have landed at No. 9.
Stephen Curry secured his second ever NBA scoring title in the win. He only needed three points on Sunday to reach the feat and poured in 46 to lead Golden State over Memphis.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
So, where do things stand for Steve Kerr's club, and what lies ahead? Here's what you need to know about the Warriors' push for the playoffs.
What is the format for the 2021 NBA Playoffs?
The NBA Play-In Tournament is a new addition to the 2021 NBA season. Here's how it works: The No. 7 through No. 10 seeds in both the Western Conference and Eastern Conference qualify for the Play-In Tournament. The top six seeds in each conference automatically advance to the traditional playoff bracket.
The Play-In Tournament begins May 18 and consists of two rounds for each conference with the following format:
Golden State Warriors
Round 1
No. 7 seed vs. No. 8 seed (winner earns No. 7 seed; loser to Round 2)
No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 seed (winner to Round 2; loser eliminated)
Round 2
Loser of 7-8 vs. Winner of 9-10 (winner earns No. 8 seed; loser eliminated)
Once the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds are decided for each conference, the first round will begin May 22 with the traditional format: seven-game series featuring the 1-8, 2-7, 3-6 and 4-5 matchups.
Where are the Warriors in the Western Conference standings?
The Warriors clinched the No. 8 seed in West. The Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks are all three games above Golden State to end the season. The Utah Jazz (52-20), Phoenix Suns (51-21), Denver Nuggets (47-25) and Los Angeles Clippers (47-25) hold the top four seeds.
Here are how things stand at the end of the regular season:
| Team | GB From No. 1 |
| 6. Portland Trail Blazers | 10 |
| 7. Los Angeles Lakers | 10 |
| 8. Golden State Warriors | 13 |
| 9. Memphis Grizzlies | 14 |
| 10. San Antonio Spurs | 19 |
Who would the Warriors play in the first round?
The Warriors will play the Lakers in the first play-in round. The winner of that game will clinch the No. 7 seed, while the loser will host the winner of No. 10 San Antonio against No. 9 Memphis on Friday to determine the West's No. 8 seed.
Here are the West's projected first-round matchups if the favorites win each game in the Play-In Tournament:
| No. 1 Utah Jazz | No. 8 Golden State Warriors |
| No. 2 Phoenix Suns | No. 7 L.A. Lakers |
| No. 3 Denver Nuggets | No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers |
| No. 4 L.A. Clippers | No. 5 Dallas Mavericks |
What is the Warriors' upcoming schedule?
The Warriors are on to the Play-In Tournament, where they will head to Los Angeles to face the defending champions. If they lose that game, they will host either the Grizzlies or the Spurs on Friday.
| No. 8 Golden State Warriors | No. 7 L.A. Lakers |
What are the Warriors' playoff odds?
The Warriors currently have +15000 odds to win the 2021 NBA championship and +8000 odds to win the West -- odds provided by our partner, PointsBet Sportsbook.
PointsBet is NBC Sports' official sports betting partner. We may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.