Warriors insist they can’t risk tanking for preferred playoff matchup

SAN FRANCISCO — Coach Steve Kerr has mulled all the possible scenarios for the last few games of the regular season.

Donte DiVincenzo has also caught himself earlier in the week doing the math to see how the Warriors could secure a top-six seed in the Western Conference to steer clear of the feared play-in tournament.

Both have come to the same conclusion.

“The easiest thing to do is just to win two games,” Kerr said Thursday after practice. “Otherwise we’re going to need some help.”

But nothing has been easy for this Golden State team that has struggled mightily outside the Bay.

The Warriors have the third-worst away record in the West at 9-30. They will close out their 82-game slate this weekend, playing in Sacramento on Friday before heading to Portland for the regular-season finale on Sunday.

If the Warriors win out, they could climb to fifth place but would certainly finish no lower than sixth. If they split or lose the final two, Golden State’s fate would rely on how the rest of the wild West shakes out.

That’s not a gamble the Warriors are willing to take, even if a higher seed means a tougher matchup in the first round. The fifth-seeded team will take on the loaded Phoenix Suns, who are locked into the No. 4 seed.

“We have to really take care of our own business and not rely on anybody else,” Kerr said.

Too many things can go wrong in the play-in tournament, and the Warriors don’t want to see a repeat of 2021, when they were upset by Memphis and missed the playoffs.

Golden State would also benefit from the extra week off between the end of the regular season and start of the first round. Not only will the veterans, such as Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, have more time to rest their achy bodies, but it would also give Andrew Wiggins more time to get up to speed and prepare himself for a potential postseason run into the summer.

“He needs more time to prepare,” said Kerr, who sees the benefit of Wiggins having an extra week of practice to re-establish chemistry with the starting unit. “Ideally, if we could finish in the top six, we’d have a week or so to prepare and there would be scrimmaging going on during that time. And Wiggs would be involved in that. But we gotta go earn that. We got to win these next two in order for that to happen more likely.”

But there are pros and cons to finishing in the fifth versus sixth place that might be worth weighing for the Warriors, too.

Facing Phoenix stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul in the first round would appear to be a tougher matchup than the Sacramento Kings, who are in third and slated to face the sixth seed.

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both said they would welcome a first-round series against the Kings because of the favorable travel.

DiVincenzo shared a similar sentiment when asked about his preference between Phoenix and Sacramento for Round 1.

“They’re both really good teams, but you just look at the distance and travel and stuff… Sacramento is just easier,” he said. “Our fans can come a little bit easier. Playoff experience, I think, is another key factor.”

While Kings-Warriors would be an ideal matchup for many, Golden State isn’t going to let its foot off the gas in these final two games to try to make it happen. The Warriors want to win and gain some momentum so they have something to feel good about heading into the postseason.

“It’s not like we’re trying to position ourselves to play a certain team,” DiVincenzo said. “Whatever team we play, I think we’ll be ready for.”