Warriors use record-setting first quarter to secure playoff spot in
chaotic West
The Warriors will get at least five days off before Game 1 of their
first-round series.

>Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson reacts after making a
3-point basket against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half
of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Sunday, April 9, 2023. (AP
Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 9, 2023 at 2:43 p.m. | UPDATED: April 9, 2023 at 5:57 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/04/09/warriors-use-record-setting-first-quarter-to-secure-playoff-spot-in-chaotic-west/

PORTLAND – A record-setting first quarter allowed the Warriors to cruise
to their needed win on Sunday — and watch the rest of the West light up
in chaos in the process.

Golden State secured a playoff spot with their dominant 157-101 win over
the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers on what was the most eventful
final day of the NBA regular season in recent memory.

After entering their regular-season finale on unsteady ground — the
Warriors could have finished anywhere between fifth and seventh place in
the West depending on how the day went down — Golden State took care of
business quickly against the Blazers, blitzing them with a 3-point
barrage and aggressive rebounding.

“It’s a great sign. We’ve played really well overall the last couple
weeks,” coach Steve Kerr said after the Warriors closed out their
regular-season slate with three straight wins. “Today our guys were
locked in right from the beginning, they knew what was at stake and
control the game from the opening tip and hopefully that carries over to
the next week.”

Klay Thompson needed only five 3s to become the third NBA player to
record 300 triples in a season, and he wasted no time in accomplishing
that feat, knocking down five of his first six shots from deep in the
first five minutes. Thompson’s red-hot start as well as an explosive and
aggressive Jordan Poole helped get Golden State to 55 points for the
most scored in the first quarter in league history.

While emotions started to run high among other Western Conference teams
fighting for playoff seeding — both the Clippers and Timberwolves dealt
with scuffles between teammates in their huddles — the Warriors seemed
rather stress free after building their lead to 31 at the half.

Stephen Curry checked in with the Masters Tournament playing on a TV in
the media workroom during the break, while Poole grabbed a handful of
popcorn on his way back to the court.

Kerr pulled the starters midway through the third, giving an opportunity
for reserves who don’t normally get floor time an opportunity.

Six Warriors players finished in double-figure scoring and four recorded
20-or-more points. Curry led the way with 26 points, and Moses Moody
added 25 off the bench. Poole had 21 points and Donte DiVincenzo
finished the afternoon with 10 points, eight assists, six rebounds and
five steals.

Kerr was proud of the way his 44-38 team battled through the up-and-down
season.

“After a really long and in many ways, tumultuous season, we got where
we needed to get and that’s into the playoffs,” Kerr said after the win.
“We’ve got a chance and that’s all we were hoping for.”

The Warriors had to wait about 20 minutes for the outcome of the
Suns-Clippers game to know where their first postseason stop would be.
Some players and coaches gathered around a TV to watch the final minutes
of the pivotal game unfold in the tiny visiting locker room in Portland.

Meanwhile, Kerr made himself comfortable in a back office, where he
watched part of the final round of the Masters Tournament – the
“important things,” he quipped.

“We were just trying to figure out who was going where,” Kerr said. “It
was a crazy day. You just don’t see this in the NBA where the fate of
four or five teams is literally still up in the air on the final day of
the season. It did feel like Selection Sunday.”

The Clippers locked up the fifth seed after beating the Suns 119-114.
That means the Warriors are the sixth seed and will play the Sacramento
Kings in the first round, marking the first time the two Northern
California NBA teams will meet in the postseason.

“That’s going to be fun,” Thompson said. “First time in NBA history,
it’s going to be really special.”

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Kerr took a moment postgame to single out Kevon Looney and Poole, two of
only 10 players who didn’t miss a game this season. It was Poole’s first
time playing all 82 and Looney’s second.

“It’s so difficult to play 82 games in an NBA season with all the bumps
and bruises and the various forms of adversity that hits you
individually,” Kerr said. “For Jordan and Loon to be there for us every
night, it’s just hugely valuable.”

Kerr expressed another level of gratitude for Looney, the team’s
ultimate iron man. Not only did he accomplish his goal to play in every
game for the second consecutive season, but he also led the league in
offensive boards (274) and asserted himself as a leader and stabilizer
that helped the Warriors navigate this trying season.

Looney is “everything you sort of hope for when you draft a player, the
development, the work ethic, the approach, the maturity, the
leadership,” Kerr said. “I think back to when Loon was a rookie and had
hip surgery and second-year hip surgery on the other hip and didn’t know
if he would make it in the league, so to see what he has made of himself
and how valuable he’s made himself to our franchise and the way he leads
just with his quiet dignity” is special.

After winning eight of their last 10 games, Golden State feels like
things are finally starting to line up for them. Gary Payton II has
seven games in a Warriors uniform this season under his belt; Andrew
Wiggins is back with the team; and the team is by and large healthy.

The Warriors will have five days to prepare for their first round, which
starts Saturday in Sacramento. Those days between games will give
Wiggins even more time to get reacclimated with the team after missing
the last two months of the season to deal with a family matter.

“I like where we’re at,” Thompson said. “This week in preparation is
going to be so important for us… People probably remember what happens
in the playoffs [more than the regular season], and we tend to be a
great playoff team. So I have no worries, I’m excited. It’s the best
time to be a basketball player, professionally.”

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter
Madeline Kenney is the Bay Area News Group's Golden State Warriors beat
reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A Nebraska native, she
is graduate of Loyola University of Chicago. She holds a Bachelor in
Communication degree, with a major in broadcast journalism and minors in
sports management and marketing, and is a friend of Sister Jean, the
103-year-old nun who became famous during the Ramblers’ 2018 run to the
Final Four, Madeline previously worked for the Chicago Sun-Times
covering everything from sports to crime and politics. When she’s not
working, she enjoys trying new restaurants and exploring the great outdoors.