On Tuesday evening, the Warriors will host the Grizzlies for the #7 vs. #8 play-in game. Golden State and Memphis finished with a 48-34 record this season.
The Warriors were 3-1 against the Grizzlies in the regular season and that gave them the tiebreaker for the #7 seed. In their team history, the Warriors are 0-3 in the play-in tournament. That includes losses in 2021, 2022, and 2024. That loss in 2022 was to the Grizzlies. Can Golden State end their play-in game skid tonight against Memphis?
Will this version of the Warriors win their first play-in game?
Warriors about to be in the play in again…where they’re 0-3. Are you for real?!? pic.twitter.com/OFuqQJfFCa
— Rebecca Schiller (@Beccaschiller) April 14, 2025
It took until the final day of the 2024-25 regular season for the Western Conference to have the playoff seedings set. Teams were battling for positioning, including the Warriors and Grizzlies. On Sunday, April 13, the Warriors lost in OT to the Clippers. If they had won that game, Golden State would have finished with the same record as the Timberwolves. The Warriors had the tiebreaker against Minnesota and would have been a top-six seed and avoided the play-in tournament.
Unfortunately, the Warriors lost and they are stuck in the play-in. All-time, Golden State is 0-3 in the play-in, including a loss to Memphis in 2022. According to odds via NBA sportsbook BetOnline, the Warriors are (-7) against the Grizzlies. Tonight will be Jimmy Butler’s first postseason game with Golden State. We’ve seen Butler take his game to another level in the playoffs as a member of the Heat. If the Warriors can get that type of production from Butler, they can make a deep postseason run.
A win tonight for the Warriors would be massive. It’s the difference between playing the Rockets or Thunder in the first round. Golden State was 3-1 in the regular season against Houston. The Warriors’ biggest flaw coming into the playoffs is the size of their roster. Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are their tallest starters at 6’6 and 6’7. They’ll be facing 6’10 Jarren Jackson Jr. and 7’4 Zach Edey. Golden State will have to battle on the glass on Tuesday against the Grizzlies. Can Golden State snap their 0-3 play-in game skid?
