Golden State Warriors: How will the Dubs do in the last 25 games of the season?

Stephen Curry returned after missing five games, and the Golden State Warriors secured a much-needed victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday to move up to 23-24 this season. The Dubs sit 10th in the Western Conference standings with 25 games left on the schedule.

There’s no question Golden State can’t afford to lose Curry to injury if he wants to at least get into the game. The Warriors are 1-5 without Steph in the roster this season and will have need him every step of the way to get back to the playoffs.

The good news is that the Dubs schedule is among the smoothest in the league. Golden State has the third easiest schedule in the NBA, which should bode well for its playoff prospects.

No one is going to take the Warriors for a championship contender, but how fun would it be to see Steph again in the playoffs? Curry has the ability to score 40 points per game and steal a streak on his own.

The Dubs will need rookie James Wiseman to keep improving. Head coach Steve Kerr recently named the 20-year-old as the starting center for the remainder of the season. Wiseman is averaging 15 points and five rebounds per game in his last two outings and was used as a finish man on several alley-oops in the victory over the Bulls.

Golden State needs Wiseman to be more of a force on the glass. He averages less than six targets per game this season. The Dubs rank 26th in the NBA in rebounding and have given up the second-most second-chance points of any team.

Andrew Wiggins has been a pleasant surprise this season. He improved his shooting to 3 points, reaching 39.7% of his attempts at depth, 5.6% better than his career average. Wiggins’ biggest contribution came from the defensive end. He regularly keeps the best player of the opposing team and leads the team in defensive victory shares.

Bench play is one of the biggest factors in how the Warriors are going to fare. The “non-Curry” minutes were an adventure for Kerr’s team. Sometimes the second unit seems like it can hold on to some of the top echelon teams in the league, while in others it looks like the worst in the NBA.

The emergence of Jordan Poole looks like a big boost for the Dubs. The 21-year-old has averaged 18.5 points per game since his recall from the G League in early March and is second on the team behind Curry in player impact estimate.

As mentioned, the schedule is favorable for Golden State, with 15 of their last 25 games against teams currently 10th or worse in their respective conferences. Even with a flexible schedule, the Warriors appear to be the best they can do if they finish between the 7th and 10th seed in the Western Conference.

After the recent slide, the Dubs are 5.5 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, who hold the fifth and sixth seeds in the conference. The top six teams are guaranteed at least a seven-game playoff series.

Portland plays the third toughest remaining force on the calendar, so the Trail Blazers would be the likely target if Golden State could make a big jump in the standings.

It appears that at least a limited number of fans should be allowed to attend games at the Chase Center towards the end of the season. This gives the team an added incentive to enter the playoffs, as it would allow the owners to recoup some of the losses they suffered while playing in an empty arena.

On the pitch, it would be important for young players like Wiseman, Poole and Nico Mannion to have playoff experience as the Warriors prepare for another championship run with a healthy Klay Thompson next season.

The Dubs are just one game against the Sacramento Kings, and 1.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, so they have to string together a few wins to give themselves some breathing space.

What do you think the Warriors’ record will be in the last 25 games?