Ranking Which Opponent Warriors Want to Avoid in Play-In Tournament

The Golden State Warriors are locked into 10th place in the Western Conference standings, which means they will have to win two road games in the play-in tournament to advance to the playoffs.

First, they'll have to win the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game on April 15. They will play either the Portland Trail Blazers (40-39) or Los Angeles Clippers (41-38).

If they win, the Warriors will play the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game. We know the Phoenix Suns (43-36) will be playing in that game. We don't know if the Suns will be facing off against the Clippers or Blazers.

The Warriors will have to beat two of the three aforementioned teams no matter what. But is there one that they are especially hoping to avoid?

Put another way, is there one Golden State will be hoping wins the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game?

Let's break down each potential opponent.

Phoenix Suns

Record vs. Warriors: 1-3
Most Used Lineup: Gillespie, Booker, Brooks, O'Neale, Williams (plus-8.5 net rating)

The Warriors have had the Suns' number this year, but that hasn't been because Devin Booker has struggled.

In three games, he's averaging 33.7 points on 50 percent shooting. With Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler out for the season, Booker will continue to be a major problem to defend.

Dillon Brooks is also thriving against Golden State's defense, averaging 23.3 points on 48.3 percent shooting.

Despite their size limitations, the Warriors have won the rebounding battle three out of four times, which isn't a huge surprise considering the Suns rank 27th in defensive rebound percentage.

Phoenix has actually defended Curry well, holding him to 23.7 points on 38.2 percent shooting.

Still, the Warriors have no reason to fear the Suns with how the games have played out this season. And the fact that Phoenix is 4-9 in its last 13 games suggests Golden State would be happy to see the Suns in the play-in tournament.

Verdict: Warriors would be happy to see the Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Record vs. Warriors: 3-1
Most Used Lineup: Holiday, Camara, Avdija, Grant, Clingan (minus-4.0 net rating)

The Blazers have two significant injury question marks heading into the last few days of the regular season.

Shaedon Sharpe (fibula) hasn't played since Feb. 6, but he could be available for the play-in tournament. Jerami Grant (calf) hasn't played since March 27.

This complicates our breakdown. When Grant and Sharpe were playing, the Warriors had no answer for the Blazers offense. Sharpe averaged 26.5 points. Grant averaged 20.7 points. Deni Avdija averaged 26.0 points and 9.0 assists.

It was a barrage of three-pointers from a Blazers team ranked 27th in three-point percentage.

The silver lining for the Warriors is that the Blazers have had major issues guarding Curry. He's averaging 32.0 points on 51.7 percent from three in four games against Portland.

Golden State would be banking on Portland regressing to the mean from three-point range. It's hard to keep up the 49.3 percent three-point shooting the Blazers had against the Warriors in two games at Moda Center.

Verdict: Warriors would be fine seeing the Blazers

Los Angeles Clippers

Record vs. Warriors: 2-1
Most Used Lineup (Since Trade*): Garland, Leonard, Jones, Collins, Lopez (plus-13.2 net rating)

The Clippers were already on the rise before trading James Harden for Darius Garland. Since then, they have continued to make their beginning-of-the-season doldrums an afterthought.

It's hard to believe that the Clippers were 6-21. They are 35-17 since. When Garland and Kawhi Leonard both play, they are 12-4.

Leonard is one of the five best players in the NBA. He's having one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 28.1 points on 50.6 percent shooting. The Warriors' lack of wings will get exposed by Leonard more than just about any other player.

The Clippers have also done a good job on Curry (23.0 PPG on 26.1 3PT%), thanks in large part to Kris Dunn. Perhaps Curry will have more success against LA now that he can hunt Garland, but on the flip side, Garland has supercharged LA's three-point offense, as he's shot 45.8 percent from downtown in 17 games.

The Clippers are up to seventh in the NBA in three-point percentage at 36.8 percent. They've shot just 26.9 percent against the Warriors and are still 2-1 against them. Their regression to the mean could mean a comfortable win against Golden State in the play-in tournament.

Verdict: The Warriors would rather play the Suns and Blazers than the Clippers