Preview: Warriors visit Spurs in penultimate game of the season

The Golden State Warriors are two games away from completing a regular season that is looking rather successful. A top-3 seed is in play as they try to outlast the Dallas Mavericks in the seeding gauntlet out West. The Mavs may made the task easier for Golden State, as their superstar Luka Doncic has exceeded the technical foul limit for the season and is suspended for his next game.

Here’s the official word, per ESPN:

“It was officially Doncic’s 16th technical foul of the season, triggering an automatic one-game suspension. Doncic had one other technical this season that was rescinded after a routine review by the league office. Sunday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs could determine whether the Mavs get the third or fourth seed in the Western Conference. Dallas (51-30) is a half-game behind the third-place Golden State Warriors (51-29) and own the tiebreaker.”

Ruh roh. If the Warriors can get the win against the San Antonio Spurs Saturday, they come one step closer to officially securing that third seed. That means they’ll battle either the Jazz or Nuggets in the first round with the advantage of playing in Chase Center where they’ve been dominant this season.

The Spurs have won two out of the three matchups against the Dubs this season, with each game being decided by five points or less. Will Golden State even up the series and get some more certainty about their postseason positioning?

Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs

April 9th, 2022 | 5:30 PT

Watch: NBC Sports Bay Area | Listen: 95.7 The Game