How Warriors can clinch No. 8 seed before season finale

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After beating the top two seeds in the Western Conference on back-to-back nights, all things are pointing in the Warriors' favor right now. 

It wouldn't hurt if they got a little more help from other teams, though. NBC Sports Bay Area's Brian Witt broke down exactly how the Warriors could clinch the No. 8 seed in the West even before their season finale. 

The Warriors rallied for a wild 122-116 win Tuesday night over the Phoenix Suns, one night after holding off the Utah Jazz for a 119-116 win. They enter Wednesday as the No. 8 seed with a 37-33 record. They're 2.5 games behind the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Lakers, who are 39-30. 

However, the main goal is to make sure they don't slip below the No. 8 seed. They currently are a half-game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies and three games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs. 

With the NBA's new play-in tournament, the No. 7 seed will play the No. 8 seed and the No. 9 seed will play the No. 10 seed. The winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 seed becomes the No. 7 seed and faces the No. 2 seed in the first round. The loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 seed plays the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 seed. The winner of that game then becomes the No. 8 seed and plays the No. 1 seed in the first round. 

Simply put, Golden State does not want to fall any further in the standings. 

Golden State Warriors

Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.

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The Warriors are off Wednesday and Thursday, and return to game action Friday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center. This season is coming down to the final few days of the season, and the Warriors have fully embraced their underdog status

Good luck to anyone facing this motivated Golden State squad.

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