Warriors Close In on the Playoffs After Comfortable Win Over Sacramento

• The Golden State Warriors blew out an undermanned Sacramento Kings 119-97 to edge closer to sealing a playoff spot
• Despite winning, the defending NBA champions committed a staggering 24 turnovers
• If they beat the Portland Trail Blazers in their final regular season game, they seal a top-six spot

The Golden State Warriors hopes of finishing in the top six in the Western Conference were boosted by a convincing win over the Sacramento Kings.

The defending NBA champions won 119-97 to improve to 43-38, meaning if they beat the Portland Trail Blazers in their last regular season game, they avoid the play-in tournament and secure a top-six finish.

The Warriors dominated the entire game and started by outscoring the hosts by 16 points in the first quarter.

The Splash Brothers combined for 54 points with Klay Thompson scoring 29 points while Stephen Curry added 25 as the Warriors picked up only their 10th road win of the season, per Mercury News.

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De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, and Kevin Huerter all missed out for the Kings with a playoff spot already secured.

The scoreline flattered the Warriors as they struggled to keep the ball. They committed 24 turnovers, but the win is all that matters to Steve Kerr's team.

What it means for the Warriors

The win over the Kings showed why the Warriors are still struggling on the road and will need to up the ante in the playoffs.

The victory pushes the Warriors a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers (42-38) for the No. 5 seed. The Warriors remain a full game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (42-39) and the New Orleans Pelicans (42-39).

Losing to the Blazers on Sunday would complicate matters for the reigning champions because they don't hold the tiebreakers over the Clippers, Lakers, or Pelicans, per NBC Sports.

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If the Blazers beat them on Sunday, they'll need the Pelicans to lose to Minnesota and the Lakers to the Jazz to finish in the top six.

With the Warriors, Pelicans, and Lakers all winning on Friday night, the seeding will come down to the wire on Sunday.

With Andrew Wiggins back, the Warriors will be a threat to any team in the playoffs.

Wiggins on stepping away from Warriors

Sports Brief earlier reported on Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins opening up on why he stepped away from the Warriors in February.

Wiggins has missed the Warriors’ last 22 games because of a family matter. He didn’t divulge the reason behind his long absence in a press conference.

"When you're in a certain situation, and your family needs you and requires your attention and your love, that's my first priority."