Warriors 2021 Schedule: Top Games, Updated Championship Odds and Predictions
After an up-and-down first half of the 2020-21 season, the Golden State Warriors will look to find more consistency in the second half as they look to make the Western Conference playoffs.
The NBA has unveiled the second-half schedule for all 30 teams, with the Warriors tipping off March 11 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
If Golden State is going to make a run, Stephen Curry will be the one to lead the team. He's having an MVP-caliber season, averaging 30.2 points and 6.2 assists per game. The two-time NBA MVP is shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range on 12 attempts per contest.
Despite Curry's performance, the Warriors have struggled as a whole on the offensive end. They rank 19th in offensive rating, but their defense ranks fifth in that same category.
There's still time for head coach Steve Kerr to get his team to sustain some momentum. They've yet to win or lose more than two games in a row, which is why they are 17-15 overall.
Here's the schedule that the Warriors will face in the second half of the season, as well as a look at their key matchups and a final record prediction.
2020-21 Warriors Schedule Details
Second-Half Opener: at Los Angeles Clippers on March 11
Championship Odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook): +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000)
Second-Half Schedule: NBA.com
Top Matchups
Los Angeles Lakers (March 15 at 10:30 p.m. ET)
Every team in the Western Conference will measure itself against the Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State only played once against the NBA champions in the first half of the season, with the Warriors getting a 115-113 victory on Jan. 18.
Just as important as the win is how Golden State's supporting cast played in that game. Curry scored a team-high 26 points but shot 8-of-22 overall and made three of 12 three-point attempts. Andrew Wiggins had one of his best games of the season with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Eric Paschall tied his season high with 19 points off the bench.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 36 points on 12-of-32 shooting in the loss.
A second win over the Lakers would go a long way toward helping to establish an identity for this Golden State team that has struggled to figure itself out thus far.
The Warriors aren't going to suddenly vault into the same tier as the Lakers, but they are a team that can cause title contenders problems in the postseason if they can get to that point.
Denver Nuggets (April 12 at 10 p.m. ET)
The Warriors and Denver Nuggets share a number of similarities this season, including being led by an MVP candidate trying to lift everyone around him.
Nikola Jokic is almost single-handedly keeping the Nuggets afloat in the Western Conference. The All-Star center is averaging career highs in scoring (27.0 points per game), assists (8.4) and rebounds (10.9).
In the first meeting between the two teams in the first half, Golden State had no answers for Jokic. He finished with a triple-double of 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 114-104 win. Curry went off for 35 points and 11 rebounds.
While Golden State boasts a below-average offense and a top-10 defense by the rating metrics, the Nuggets are the inverse. They are finding success thanks mostly to an offense that ranks fifth in points per game (115.4) and fifth in rating (116.7).
Denver's problems stem from a defense that has fallen off a cliff in 2020-21. That unit ranks 21st in defensive rating and had a run of five straight games from Jan. 29-Feb. 8 when all of their opponents scored at least 114 points.
As a result of the Nuggets' inability to stop teams from scoring, they have gone from a potential Western Conference finalist for the second straight season to being a borderline playoff team.
The Nuggets currently own the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Golden State. If those standings hold for the rest of the year, they will meet in the play-in tournament, with the winner being able to avoid playing an additional play-in game.
Second-Half Forecast
The good news for Golden State is the Western Conference is so bunched together that every team outside of the top four seeds can move up multiple spots with a win on any given night.
The Warriors are only 17-15 at this point but trail the Phoenix Suns for the No. 4 seed by four games.
Unfortunately, all of the teams being in close proximity means that a loss on any given night can take a side that feels comfortable with its playoff positioning into one of the play-in spots.
Curry will be the driving force behind Golden State's push for a playoff spot. There is help around him, with Wiggins continuing to look more comfortable in this offense than he did with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wiggins is averaging 17.6 points per game on a career-high 47.0 percent shooting. There's also the possibility of a trade before the March 25 deadline to provide more talent around Curry.
An injury to Curry would derail the Warriors' hopes, but he's been able to stay on the court this season. If that remains the case, there's no reason to think they won't at least make the play-in tournament.
Record Prediction: 39-33
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