Warriors Must Win Final 3 Games To Reach Illustrious 73 Wins

The Golden State Warriors became the second team in NBA history to finish with  70 wins in a season after taking down the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena on Thursday night, 112-101. The Warriors must win their final three games to finish with a 73-9 record. Those 73 wins would have Golden State as the sole record-holders of the best regular season record of all time. That record currently belongs to the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls who finished that season with a 72-10 record and an NBA championship. Steph Curry talked about the team’s pursuit of the record and what they did correct against the Spurs after Thursday night’s game.

Four different Warriors scored at least 14 points last night including Steph Curry, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Curry led the bunch with 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting, adding nine assists. Barnes and Green did an excellent job spreading the floor as the duo finished with 39 points and 14 rebounds. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr praised Barnes for his role in the team’s win.

The Spurs had five different players finish in double-digit scoring, led by Kawhi Leonard’s 23 on eight-of-12 shooting. LaMarcus Aldridge had a poor outing, ending with 11 points and only three rebounds.

With tonight's win, the #Warriors clinch the best record in the #NBA for the second straight season.https://t.co/Kemuk38ENj

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 8, 2016

The Warriors final three games include a home-and-away with the Memphis Grizzlies and one more matchup against the Spurs at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. The Grizzlies have clinched a playoff berth with 42-36 record and currently sits as the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Memphis will be playing to defend that fifth seed, as the Grizz can drop down as far as the seventh seed by the time the regular season ends.

The Spurs matchup sandwiched in between Golden State’s two games against the Memphis Grizzlies will more than likely prove to be their toughest remaining contest. San Antonio is the only team to not lose a game at home this season, going an NBA-record 39-0 so far at the AT&T Center. The Spurs are 1-2 so far against the Warriors this season.

Golden State’s contest versus the Grizzlies on Saturday can be seen on ESPN and the WatchESPN app, while their game against the Spurs on Sunday can be seen exclusively on NBATV. The Warriors final contest of the season against Memphis does not have a listed network yet.

Do you think the Warriors will win 73 games this season? They need to win their final 3 games to do so pic.twitter.com/uXaERcbLDB

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 8, 2016