The Warriors fell just short against the Mavericks.

Playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, down two starters and falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter, the Golden State Warriors nevertheless got a good look to beat the Dallas Mavericks at the buzzer. Klay Thompson caught in the corner and immediately launched after Dallas sent two defenders to Stephen Curry, the ball releasing his hands just before the fourth quarter clock struck zero.

Golden State, obviously, will live with that game-winning shot every time, irrespective of the unenviable circumstances that preceded it. Given everything the Dubs overcame en route to nearly extending their season-long winning streak to seven games, even a 108-106 loss to the Luka Doncic-less Mavs counts as another encouraging sign as the postseason looms.

“Love the way our guys fought, hung in there down whatever we were down, eight or nine with just a few minutes left. The level of competition and unity, just the way they fought short-handed with guys out on a back-to-back, older group of guys, Steph, Klay, CP, Dray—just amazing effort,” Steve Kerr said. “I love these guys. They’re incredible. Just didn’t quite have enough tonight.”

Still without Jonathan Kuminga as well as Andrew Wiggins, the shorthanded Warriors were barely awake after tipoff, a step slower than the Mavericks on both sides of the ball as the home team built a 29-13 lead. Kerr’s second unit changed the game for good from there, with Brandin Podziemski, Gary Payton II and Chris Paul leading a sustained two-way charge that put Golden State up one heading into the second quarter.

Dallas threatened to pull away on multiple occasions in the final stanza, exploiting the Warriors’ typical penchant for turnovers and heavy-legged long-range shooting. But Curry came alive when it mattered most, dropping 14 points in the fourth quarter to give his team a puncher’s chance to steal a win in the waning moments.

“Those are tough circumstances to get a great look, and they did a good job switching everything and then taking the ball out of Steph’s hands,” Kerr said of the game’s final possession. “But we got it out, we had a decent look, but those are tough moments, for sure.”

Surging Warriors’ play-in scenarios entering season’s final stretch

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The Dubs struggled containing the ball, their rotations weren’t always on point and the offense labored without Wiggins and Kuminga until Curry rescued it late. This clearly wasn’t among their best performances amid a season-altering stretch over the last couple weeks.

Count Friday’s loss as further proof of concept and continuity for Golden State’s recent play regardless. Instead of fighting tooth and nail with the Houston Rockets for the final spot in the play-in tournament, the Warriors now only have to worry about who they’ll face and where they’ll play once the postseason finally tips off. That development marks a major win all by itself.

Lineups featuring Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis—which Kerr has hinted at starting even after Kuminga returns from injury—boast an utterly dominant 99.7 defensive rating since the All-Star break, per NBA.com/stats. Thompson is rightfully re-entrenched as a starter after a successful foray to the bench. Golden State’s revamped reserve unit continues making a positive impact.

“It just brings toughness. We play desperate,” Podziemski said of the Dubs’ reserves. “Sometimes we’re there to clean up the first group, sometimes we’re there to extend the lead. Just kind of gauging whatever that game calls for when we get in there.”

Final result notwithstanding, Friday’s game was another positive step in the right direction as the last week of the regular season looms. Still, heading home from Dallas without a seventh straight victory represents a major missed opportunity for the Warriors nonetheless.

At 42-35, Golden State is two games behind the ninth-place Los Angeles Lakers and eighth-place Sacramento Kings. Curry and company still have the chance to overtake the purple-and-gold by beating them Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, taking the head-to-head tie-breaker. But any realistic hopes of passing the Kings—who own the tie-breaker over the Dubs due to division record—to avoid the obligation of winning two play-in games to advance to the playoffs went up in smoke when Thompson’s last-second triple fell short Friday night.

All signs still point to an epic, do-or-die play-in tournament clash between the Warriors and Lakers. Whether it will take place in San Francisco or Los Angeles depends mostly on the outcome of Tuesday’s preview.

Before then, though, Golden State must take care of business back home on Sunday against the Utah Jazz. A letdown would hardly be surprising given this team’s season-long labors at Chase Center. Given the palpable vigor and intensity they’ve played with of late, though, expect the Warriors to dispatch of the Jazz, setting up their biggest game of 2023-24 on Tuesday in Southern California.