The Warriors’ hopes of escaping play-in purgatory hinge on Steph Curry, Wiggins’ return

Stephen Curry shook his head. Another Warriors meltdown was in progress.

LeBron James’ corner 3-pointer over Donte DiVincenzo had extended the Lakers’ lead to 11 points midway through the third quarter. The TNT cameras panned from the swishing net to a frowning Curry dressed up in a white hoodie on the visiting bench.

Golden State had come within a bucket of the lead just minutes prior, but old habits kicked. A few fouls and misses off unideal shots later, the Lakers were on an 18-5 run and pulling away for the 124-111 win.

There was no Curry able to suit up and save the Warriors.

Now Golden State is back below .500 at 29-30 and in the 10th seed of the Western Conference with just 23 games to play. Having Curry eventually back next to Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and most of this championship core means a foot in the door is more than enough space to make a run at the Finals against a mediocre Western Conference, even as a play-in participant.

“We have 23 games left,” Thompson said after the Warriors’ loss on Thursday. “We have a great opportunity to finish strong and continue to play your hardest and have fun while doing it.”

Higher seeds are well within reach; they’re two games back of the sixth seed and three games back of the fourth. But those thin margins look miles long given how they play without Curry. The defense is lax on the perimeter and the offense can’t create any easy shots.

If the Warriors want to escape the play-in bracket — not to mention ensure they don’t miss the playoffs entirely — and re-establish their championship identity, they will need Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II playing together.

Of course, the delayed team reunion isn’t something that can be controlled. Curry will be out at least until March 1 with a left leg strain sustained on Feb. 4 against the Dallas Mavericks.

Wiggins, who has been out the last two games dealing with a family matter, has missed a career-high 22 games with an adductor strain and various illnesses. His timeline for return is unknown, as is Payton’s after returning to the Warriors at the trade deadline with an injury stemming from his offseason core surgery that will sideline him for at least a month and possibly longer.

The Warriors wouldn’t have won the championship last season without all three players — which explains Golden State’s elaborate trade to re-acquire Payton from Portland at the deadline. They went on the 21-0 run and closed out Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Boston together.

With Curry on the court, the Warriors boast a 117.4 offensive rating that would rank second in the NBA behind Boston’s 118.2 rating. They have a 109.8 offensive rating with Curry on the bench, good for 27th in the NBA.

In the 32 games played with both Curry and Wiggins this season, the Warriors score 120.1 points per 100 possessions and allow 110.9, one of the top differentials in the league.

With Curry, Wiggins and Payton on the floor together last season, the Warriors averaged 114.5 points per 100 and allowed a stingy 103.2 on defense.

At their best selves this season and last, Golden State used a disrupting defense to generate their demoralizing transition offense. The Warriors haven’t had the chance to fully become their best selves this season.

A shot at a higher seed is within reach if the complete Warriors reunite on the court this season. But with those timelines uncertain with just 23 games remaining, the next few days or weeks could look a lot like Thursday’s grim loss in Los Angeles.

Optimism seems high, even after another meltdown.

“There’s a lot of basketball left, believe it or not,” Thompson said. “I know we still have greatness ahead of us. Never not going to believe in this team. We’ve done too many great things not to.”