Warriors instant analysis: Golden State struggles to beat a Wizards team that is trying to lose

Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News on Mar 28, 2026

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SAN FRANCISCO — With almost an entire third quarter left to play, young Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr picked up his fifth foul of the night at Chase Center.

Rather than do the sensible thing, which would be to sit him for the rest of the third quarter if not much of the fourth too, Wizards coach Brian Keefe elected to leave him out there against the Warriors.

With 5:31 remaining in that same quarter, Draymond Green blew by Sarr and drew his sixth infraction. On most teams, what the Wizards did would be considered coaching malpractice.

For a tanking Washington franchise (17-56) trying to stack as many losses as it could, it was business as usual for a team that recently snapped a 16-game losing skid

And yet, the Warriors nearly foiled the Wizards plans, eking out a 131-126 victory and extending a three-game winning streak.

Aside from Steph Curry, who has been out since Jan. 30 with runner’s knee, Quinten Post (foot) and top guard De’Anthony Melton (injury management) were ruled out.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 while Gui Santos put in 27 for the Warriors. Brandin Podziemski scored 22 and had 10 rebounds. Bilal Coulibaly led the Wizards with 21 points, and Will Riley scored 19 for Washington.

The Wizards kept things close throughout the second half, and the Warriors actually had to come back in the fourth quarter. Santos buried a reverse layup through contact and making the free throw to tie the game at 111 with six minutes remaining. Two Porzingis free throws gave the Warriors the lead.

Golden State pulled away from there, keeping the pesky Wizards at bay with a flurry of 3-pointers and free throws.

The Warriors have now – against an admittedly pillow-soft slate of opponents in the Wizards, Nets and Mavericks – run their winning streak to three games.

Ever since Curry went out with a knee injury on Jan. 30, the Warriors have preached the needed to “stay afloat” until their leader returns.

Altough he remains out – the Warriors will reevaluate him next week – Golden State appears to finally be keeping their head above water in the final play-in spot.

The Warriors led 38-25 after one quarter, and 72-60 at halftime. The Wizards, try as they might to lose, somehow began the third quarter on a 16-4 run to tie the game at 76, and led 94-92 at the end of the period.

Golden State (36-38) will attempt to extend their winning run to four in a row in Denver on Sunday.

—Payton’s falls short of Chamberlain

Gary Payton II had a chance to, despite standing at 6-foot-2 and playing a game more suited for a forward six inches taller, equal one of the game’s greatest players.

He entered Friday night having made 16 consecutive field goals, the vast majority of them being opportunistic dunks and layups off smart cuts and putbacks. That was just three off passing the great Wilt Chamberlain (18) for the most in Warriors history.

That chance at history evaporated with 6:34 in the first quarter. Payton went up for a putback dunk but his attempt clanged off the rim.

Payton, who scored 15 points, will have to settle for second place.

—Porzingis’ hot start

Most players score easily against the Wizards’ porous defense, but Kristaps Porzingis appears to succeed with particularly unique ease against his old team.

He dropped 30 points in Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago, and the Latvian picked up right where he left off in the Bay Area rematch. He scored the team’s first eight points of the game.

Porzingis finished the first quarter with 11 points, making three 3-pointers and one cutting layup.

Since returning from his extended, illness-induced absence, Porzingis has averaged 16.4 points per game and has yet to miss a game because of injury. The three games he has sat out have been because Porzingis does not play back-to-backs.