The Houston Rockets fell to the Miami Heat on Friday, confirming the Golden State Warriors' spot in the 2024 play-in tournament. The Rockets are four games behind the 10th-placed Warriors, with only four games left in their regular season schedule. The Warriors have the tiebreaker over the Rockets after beating them three times this season. This means Houston cannot surpass Golden State in the standings. With a spot in the play-in tournament guaranteed, the Warriors can focus on trying to catch up to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, who are ahead by 2.5 and two games respectively.

However, they will need Stephen Curry, their star player, to have a chance at catching the Lakers. The Warriors have five games remaining in their schedule, including two against the Utah Jazz. Their first meeting is on Sunday night, but Curry will be rested by the team. He has already played in 71 games this season and has been a key player for his team, so resting him before the playoffs is a wise decision. The Warriors are resting Curry ahead of their crucial game against the Lakers on Tuesday. Curry has been dealing with knee soreness recently, missing three games last month before returning for the last 11 games. The 36-year-old superstar deserves a break before the final stretch of the regular season. This season, Curry has missed only six out of 77 games for the Warriors, highlighting his importance to the team. Golden State has a poor 1-5 record without Curry, with their sole win coming against the struggling San Antonio Spurs. This record underscores the team's reliance on their star player. Despite wanting to lighten Curry's workload, the Warriors' results without him show why he has played in the majority of their games this season. The Warriors' coaching staff is trusting their team to secure a win against the Jazz without Curry. However, if they fail, they may decide to rest all their starters in the remaining games and focus on the upcoming play-in tournament.