The Warriors know they're headed back to the play-in tournament; other teams might think the same

Golden State coach Steve Kerr can do the math. He knows the Warriors are headed to the play-in tournament. The Warriors have 13 games left in the regular season and their loss in Boston on Wednesday night — another game that Stephen Curry missed with a knee issue — left them 8 1/2 games out of sixth place and the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference.

That said, they're also 8 1/2 games ahead of 11th place. So, while it's still mathematically possible that the Warriors end up outside of play-in tournament range — that's for teams finishing seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th in each conference — Kerr knows that won't be the reality. “What I’m most interested in right now is can we prepare ourselves for the play-in," Kerr said after Wednesday's 120-99 loss.

"We're going to be in the play-in. We know that — one way or the other. So, we’ve got to prepare.

” The regular season ends April 12 and the top six finishers in each conference are guaranteed playoff spots. The teams that finish 11th through 15th in each conference are eliminated. For the other clubs, that leaves the play-in tournament, which will run from April 14 through April 17.