Klay Thompson made it clear that he believes the Warriors are the best team in the league when they are healthy. With a win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday, the Warriors will finish no worse than sixth in the Western Conference, avoiding the play-in tournament. However, even with postseason experience, the Warriors still have a tough road ahead. To reach their full potential for another NBA championship, they need to take care of the basketball, have good collective shot selection, and communicate on defense. Andrew Wiggins, who has been dealing with a personal family issue, will likely be ready for the postseason if Golden State stays out of the play-in tournament. Thompson's confidence in the team shows that the Warriors are hitting their stride, but they need to maintain and improve certain aspects of their game to make another deep run. Although the Warriors may not be viewed as the favorite in the West, especially if they face the Suns and Kevin Durant, their talent and experience should not be ignored.

Golden State Warriors' guard Gary Payton II will not be playing in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings due to an illness, according to the NBA’s official injury report. Payton II was listed as “questionable” ahead of Thursday's game, but he didn’t attend the Warriors' pregame shootaround session due to his illness. The 30-year-old guard was acquired by Golden State at the trade deadline recently as a short-term solution when the team focused on the playoffs. Payton II showed his defensive skills in the two games he had played against the Kings, where he was the only Warriors’ player who could keep pace with Sacramento point guard De'Aaron Fox, who had been pivotal to Kings' progress. Golden State is already down to a 2-0 series deficit and instead will depend on guard Andrew Wiggins, who has been listed as “available,” to step up, as well as their other players, as they look to avoid elimination. Guard Jordan Poole, who has been struggling with ankle sprain, will also be playing. Draymond Green, the Warriors’ defensive player, remains out due to a one-game suspension, along with Payton II, with concerns regarding the team’s defensive capabilities against the fast-paced Kings.

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors is set to make NBA history. Currently, with 4,212 assists to his name, Green is slated to surpass Hall of Famer Charles Barkley with just four more assists during Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. Although Green hasn’t put up massive numbers, he is one of the best all-around players in the league, which includes being an elite passer and defender. His assists numbers have been consistent as in 64 out of 69 games this season, he has dished out 4+ assists. Given Green's playmaking abilities and the Warriors' strong offensive presence, the feat seems almost certain. Warriors are set to enter the playoffs as the No. 6 playoff seed in the Western Conference after a unique regular season. Despite some weaknesses, Green believes the defending league champions should be favored for the West Finals. In the past eight seasons, the Warriors have won the NBA Championship in four times and have been to the NBA Finals six times.

The Golden State Warriors played against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night in a pivotal late-season matchup. While the Kings have already clinched their playoff spot and are likely to finish as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, the game was critical for the defending champions. The only way for the Warriors to avoid the play-in tournament is by winning both their final two games. They currently sit in sixth place in the West and need to finish in the top six to avoid the tournament. Warriors coach Steve Kerr emphasized the importance of not letting their guard down and the necessity of winning both their final games. The Kings rested their top three scorers, which some believe could indicate that they are not taking the game seriously. Nevertheless, both teams have a chance of meeting again in the first round of the playoffs, which would be the first time for both to make the playoffs in the same season. The game ended with the Warriors winning 120-108, putting them in a stronger position to make the playoffs without the play-in tournament.

The Sacramento Kings are finally back in the playoffs after a 17-year absence, led by a talented young core and veteran Harrison Barnes. However, Barnes' championship pedigree with the Golden State Warriors may come into play as they face off against his former team. Barnes played a key role in Golden State's championship run in 2015 and was a member of the record-breaking 73-win team in 2016. Despite being a veteran leader on the Kings, his experience with the Warriors could give them an edge. Barnes recently suffered a minor ankle injury, but he is expected to play in Game 1 against the Warriors. With the Kings' high-scoring offense and the Warriors' inconsistent regular season, this series could be much closer than many expect. Furthermore, Mike Brown, former assistant coach for the Warriors, is now the coach of the year for the Kings, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the series. Will the young Kings be able to silence the doubters and upset the defending champions, or will Barnes' inside knowledge of the Warriors give them an advantage?

Mike Brown, head coach of the Sacramento Kings, has been named the National Basketball Coaches Association's 2023 Coach of the Year. The award is voted on by the NBA's 30 head coaches, and it goes to the coach who has made the greatest positive impact on his team. Brown is expected to also win the NBA's Coach of the Year award, which is voted on by the media and will be announced during the playoffs. This is Brown's first season with the Kings, and under his leadership, the team went 48-34, finished third in the Western Conference, and made the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Brown has overseen one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history, taking a franchise that had been a doormat for years and turning it into a team that plays with high energy and confidence. The Kings have been one of the most potent offensive teams in NBA history, scoring a league-best 118.6 points per 100 possessions in the regular season.

It has been over 70 years since the Sacramento Kings (then known as the Rochester Royals) won the NBA Championship in 1951. However, according to guard Chimezie Metu, the Kings are not just aiming for a postseason appearance but are targeting the championship crown. Despite being in the playoffs for the first time since 2006, the Kings are approaching the NBA playoffs with a winning mindset, as they take on the Golden State Warriors next. Head coach Mike Brown's relentless style is also fueling the team's championship aspirations. In Brown's words, "let's be like everyone else and win a championship." The third-seeded Kings have several strong players, including a potential two-time Coach of the Year award winner in Brown, Clutch Player of the Year frontrunner De'Aaron Fox, All-Star Domantas Sabonis, and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malik Monk. Can the Kings finally end their long-awaited NBA Championship drought?

With two games left in the NBA regular season, the Golden State Warriors are fighting for their playoffs spot, and it all comes down to their next two games. The Warriors slipped to the sixth seed in the Western Conference standings after the Los Angeles Clippers' win over the Lakers. They split their season series, but the Clippers have a better record against Pacific Division opponents, giving them the tiebreaker over the Warriors. The Warriors now have to fight it out in their next two games. They will face the Sacramento Kings, who are already locked in as the No. 3 seed, and the Portland Trail Blazers, who have been shamelessly tanking, resting Damian Lillard and other key players. If the Warriors win both games, they will clinch a top-six seed and avoid the play-in tournament. However, they could end up anywhere from sixth to eighth, depending on the results from the Pelicans, Lakers, and Clippers. The stakes are high, and it all comes down to these two games for the Warriors. Will they succeed in avoiding the play-in and clinching a top-six seed?

The whereabouts of a key player on the NBA's most marquee and best-covered team, Golden State Warriors, remained mostly a secret for nearly two months until Andrew Wiggins' return last week. The Athletic's Shams Charania reported the reason for Wiggins' absence was his father had a serious medical situation. Multiple reporters and editors involved in Wiggins coverage described the reporting experience as bizarre, as they debated how to pursue the story, but also one that threatened to upend the Warriors' season as it dragged on. Warriors communications director Raymond Ridder said he was surprised that no national reporters had come up with more details but said he never asked any beat writers not to look into it.

The coverage of Wiggins' absence brought up issues such as what is newsworthy, how much privacy athletes are entitled to, and how journalists and news organizations that cover them balance that with the main tenets of their jobs: reporting news. During Wiggins' return news conference, neither he nor Myers mentioned Wiggins' father and no reporters asked about him. The Warriors confirmed Charania's report. Myers thanked the media for respecting the personal life of someone in a public job, which is a pretty rare thing in the business.

Former NBA player and current analyst Charles Barkley has guaranteed that the Sacramento Kings will win a playoff series against either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Golden State Warriors. The Kings have secured no less than the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and a homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, with the possibility of clinching the No. 2 seed with a win on Friday. Barkley's prediction has not been taken lightly by several NBA stars, including LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who may use it as a motivation to take down the Kings. Barkley's prediction comes as the Kings are set to appear in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Kings have had a historic season offensively, and their speed and athleticism may prove challenging to other teams. While the playoffs are unpredictable and anything can happen, Barkley's predictions and infamous guarantees have always stirred excitement in NBA fans.

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman recently defended the bank regulatory landscape, stating that the recent bank failures of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) were not an indictment of the system, but conceded that changes may be necessary if gaps in the bank supervision and regulation regime are identified. The Fed is currently reviewing its oversight of SVB and results of the review are expected to be made public by May 1. Critics have been quick to point fingers at various parties, including Congress and Trump, bank regulators, executive mismanagement, and deposit influencers. However, until all facts are known, banks of all sizes can expect increased regulatory scrutiny. Bank management should begin preparing proactively for the increased scrutiny. Some experts have criticized the lack of coordination between the monetary and bank supervision and regulation functions of the Federal Reserve Board, while others are questioning why the board did not anticipate the negative effects of rapid interest rate increases on bank securities portfolios, deposit migration away from banks to money market funds, and resulting liquidity strains.