Why Warrior's game vs Thunder in Oklahoma City starts important stretch

The Warriors awakened on Monday as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and eliminated from the NBA play-in round after not playing the day before. That is how the standings have developed this season.In the West, only the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies have established a lead. It's not difficult to catch them. They just aren't in the same situation as every other club, from the No. 3 seed to the No. 13 seed, in the whole league. And with that, a crucial stretch for the reigning champion Warriors begins with their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday at the Paycom Center.The Warriors face seven straight games against opponents from the Western Conference beginning on Monday night in Oklahoma City. Before the NBA All-Star break, they played eight of their nine games against Western opponents. Golden State plays nine straight games against opponents from the Western Conference after the All-Star break before travelling to Milwaukee to play the Bucks.This is when things really start to get interesting.Golden State has won two straight home games and has a record of 25-24 heading into the contests on Monday. They are currently 2.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings, the No. 3 seed. The Warriors are also only one game behind the No. 11 seed Thunder, which effectively disqualifies them from the play-in competition.In what has been basketball's finest conference for years, there is the wild, wild West and then there is the cyclone of teams that are floating just above or just below a winning record.Let's return to the schedule at this time. The Warriors play 14 games against West teams who are within two games of the Dubs during their 18-game span that includes one Eastern Conference opponent, the Washington Wizards, on February 13. The Warriors will travel to face the No. 11 seed Thunder, No. 5 seed Minnesota Timberwolves, No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets, No. 12 seed Portland Trail Blazers, and No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers before the All-Star break. Despite being the lowest seed, the Blazers trail the Warriors by just two games.

Before that 18-game span is through, they face the Thunder twice, the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies once, and the No. 13 seed Los Angeles Lakers twice on the road. Bringing up the Warriors' difficulties on the road is now useless. They are 6-18 away from Chase Center and 19-6 at home. Road victories must begin right away, starting Monday night against the Thunder.The Dallas Mavericks (No. 7 seed), Thunder, Lakers, Houston Rockets (No. 15 seed), Wolves, Blazers, Clippers, and Pelicans all have home games in an 18-game stretch that runs through March 9. (No. 8 seed). In this time frame, the Warriors' biggest road trip is three games (twice), while their longest homestand is five games in a row from February 24 to March 5.When asked what coach hopes to achieve on the team's next road trip, which gets underway Monday night, Steve Kerr responded, "Just continuing progress," to media following a Warriors practise on Sunday. "We are aware of the areas where we need to improve. I believe each player is aware of what he can improve upon and how it will help the team achieve its objective. We have experienced this scenario before when we have some momentum. "It has to go through." The fact that Andrew Wiggins is back is another thing that makes Monday crucial. Andre Iguodala is the sole player listed on the Warriors' injury report; he will miss his eighth consecutive game due to a right hip strain. Due to his illness, Wiggins was unable to participate in the Warriors' last two games.his third sickness this season that is not COVID.

Wiggins fully participated in practise and looked fantastic when he went back on the floor, according to Kerr on Sunday. Wiggins has had difficulty since his 15-game absence—the longest of his career—which was caused by a right adductor strain in addition to the two illnesses. in particular with his shot.Wiggins has played in seven games this year and has averaged 12.4 points while shooting 34.4 percent from the field and 22.7 percent from beyond the arc. Prior to getting injured, he was scoring 19.1 points per game on 51.1 percent of his shots and a career-high 45.0 percent from outside the arc. When questioned on Sunday about whether he has been experiencing any displeasure, Wiggins responded, "Oh, for sure, for sure. "Being out with this is kind of aggravating, not being out there with my friends," the player said after suffering an adductor injury. How does Wiggins maintain his mental strength? Seeing the Warriors triumph.

He was able to do it from a distance in the final two contests, and the Warriors finished their three-game homestand on a high note by defeating the Toronto Raptors 129-117 with a season-high 40 assists. The Warriors must get those types of victories on the road right away. They have maintained their season-long level of health. There are 33 games left in the regular season as of today, January 30. Waiting is, however, a less and less viable choice. The Warriors have a chance to move up in the Western Conference standings if they can string victories together once this season.