Warriors vs Magic: Is it A Trap?

Golden State Warriors (42-26) vs. Orlando Magic (19-48)

Roaracle,  Oakland 7:30 PM PDT

TV: CSNBA / Radio: KNBR 680

Blog Buddy: Orlando Pinstriped Post

This Warriors squad has demonstrated a depressing ability to play down to their opponents ( do I need to list them? eh, you know) at home. If that happens against the team with the worst road record in the NBA, the Dubs are in serious trouble. Portland plays Milwaukee tonight, and will likely win,  making the quest for 5th seed even more difficult if paired with a Golden State loss. On the other hand, a Warriors win and a Blazers loss would put the Dubs just 1/2 game behind Portland in the West.

Orlando has had a rough year, but a great chance at a high lottery pick. And they've  signed Dewayne Dedmon, so there's that. (Trivia: he backed up  Nikola Vucevic at USC.) Arron Afflalo has been their best player, Victor Oladipo has been kind of average for a "star rookie", and not much else there.

And yet - the Warriors can, as Mark Jackson said, "lose to anyone" if they play outside their game plans. Jackson is starting to show more flexibility in his rotations,  albeit because of injuries and fatigue to some extent. This is crunch time on the season, where they need to gut it out and  stay as healthy as they can. Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson are all listed as day-to-day as I write this, and that presents a conundrum for MJax. How much do you play them? How important is this win?

With the overall recent struggles of Stephen Curry (and sometimes David Lee), does going all out for the win affect their health badly as well, or does it take pressure off them and allow them to get some lower-energy minutes and conserve strength? Would losing make this a get-healthy game in a literal sense?

No. With the longest break in the season outside the ASB coming up for the Dubs in a few days, play it out. This win is important.

Warriors by 7

Draymond has a solid game