Golden State Warriors: Previewing the Final 30 Games of the Season

February 19-February 25: Beginning of a Difficult Road Trip

Everyone knows that the chances of the Warriors eclipsing 72 wins falls on the health of the starting lineup, particularly Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. Without them, we can all but kiss any chance of 73 good bye. With that being said, health is impossible to predict, so we shall move forward. This five-game stretch for the Warriors begins a six-game road trip, which in itself will not be easy.

Game 1: At Portland Trail Blazers

This game will feature a lot of the Oakland native Damian Lillard, who is averaging a career-best 24.3 points per game, as well as 7.3 assists, also a career high. Lillard is the only starter remaining from last year’s Blazer squad, and with little help outside of C.J. McCollum, it’ll be hard for the Blazers to get their first win against the Warriors this season.

Game 2: At Los Angeles Clippers
This game will come on the second night of a back-to-back, with the worst part being that this is a 5:30PM tip time. That means that once the game in Portland ends, the Warriors will have about 19 hours until this game begins. That is not the easiest turn around, especially when this Clippers team is looking for revenge after melting down in the last game they played on November 19th. This game has the potential to be the Warriors fifth loss of the season if they don’t come out hungry.

Game 3: At Atlanta Hawks
After one day of rest, the Warriors will fly across the country for their first meeting with the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks come in with the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 31-24. After an unbelievable season last year, they have fallen off a bit, but have the talent to compete with anyone in the NBA. With that being said, the Warriors should have no trouble handling the Hawks, especially if they end up not playing well in LA.

Game 4: At Miami Heat
This game will be the team’s second of two meetings this season, with the Warriors earning a 111-103 win last time at Oracle. After Hassan Whiteside‘s offseason comments about “small ball” basketball not working in the NBA, many people were excited for their first match-up. However, Whiteside missed the last game with injury. This time around he looks to be healthy, which will make for a very entertaining game. The Warriors shouldn’t have a problem with this game either.

Game 5: At Orlando Magic

The Warriors will continue with their Florida tour with a stop in Orlando to see dunk legend and Bay Area native Aaron Gordon. The Magic are currently sit 3.5 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. At this point in the season, they need every game they can get, and there is no better motivation than trying to derail the Dubs’ hopes of breaking the Bulls record.

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