Quick Take
The Warriors defeated the Rip City Remix in Portland March 30 to secure the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference of the upcoming NBA G League Playoff, which begins April 2. Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud spent time with the Warriors during practice in March as the team made its final playoff push.
UPDATE April 1: The Warriors defeated the Rip City Remix in Portland over the weekend to secure the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference of the upcoming NBA G League Playoff, which begins Tuesday.
The playoffs have started in the regular season for the Santa Cruz Warriors, one of eight teams fighting for the final three postseason spots in the NBA G League.
The top six teams in each conference of the developmental league advance to the playoffs, and after a loss Wednesday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena, Santa Cruz is in a five-way tie for the final Western Conference spot with the Rip City Remix, Austin Spurs, Texas Legends and South Bay Lakers. All five teams are 18-14, one game behind a group of three teams at 19-13.
After coming up just short in a 120-117 defeat Wednesday to the South Bay Lakers, the Warriors have two games remaining to punch their playoff ticket in the 15-team Western Conference.
The Sea Dubs head to Portland, Oregon, for games Friday and Saturday against the Rip City Remix, one of the other teams fighting for that sixth and final postseason berth. Simply put, the Warriors absolutely cannot afford to lose both games if they want their season to continue beyond this weekend.
If Santa Cruz finishes the season with the same record as the Spurs and Legends, the Warriors would make the playoffs. But if South Bay and Santa Cruz finish with the same number of victories, the Lakers would move on to the postseason.
This is the first season at the helm for Warriors head coach Nick Kerr. With Kerr’s father, nine-time NBA champ Steve Kerr, coaching the parent Golden State Warriors, Nick Kerr aims to get the Sea Dubs back to the postseason after last season’s squad went 15-17 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.
All season, the Warriors have had players step in to succeed when called upon.
Eight players averaged at least 10 points per game, led by guard Donovan Williams at 19.9 points per contest. The University of Nevada Las Vegas product has also played for the Atlanta Hawks and contributes nearly 5 rebounds per game.
Warriors forward Jackson Rowe is one of the most efficient shooters in the league, making two-thirds of his shot attempts. He had 30 points against the Lakers on Wednesday.
Another leader is Kendric Davis, who is fifth in the G League with 8.8 assists per game.
Guard Pat Spencer, who played lacrosse at Maryland’s Loyola University before finishing his college basketball career at Northwestern University, was called up to Golden State this season, where he played in three games. The 6-foot-3 Pennsylvania native has done it all for Santa Cruz this season by averaging 14 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Former Houston Rockets first-round pick Usman Garuba has been coming up with big rebounds all season long for the Sea Dubs. Drafted in 2021 out of Spain, Garuba has played 102 career NBA games for the Rockets and Golden State Warriors. This season, the 6-foot-8 big man has averaged 10.9 boards per game, including 4.4 on the offensive glass for Santa Cruz. A 56.1% shooter, Garuba averages more than 12 points a night.
Gui Santos and Lester Quinones are both with the Golden State club right now, but have come up big during stints in Santa Cruz, each averaging more than 11 points per game.
Amida Brimah has been clutch since coming to Surf City this year. A 2014 national champion at the University of Connecticut, Brimah has chipped in 7.1 points and pulled down 7.2 rebounds per game. A nightmare defensively, Brimah leads the team with 2.8 blocks per game.
Javan Johnson rounds out the starting lineup, and more than half of his 11.2 points per game come from the 3-point line where he shoots 37.4% from downtown. He has scored more than 20 points in five games with a high of 27 this year.
Santa Cruz plays on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m.
Photo gallery: A look back at the Warriors’ season
By John P. Hefti
The Santa Cruz Warriors’ Pat Spencer guards Scotty Pippen Jr. of the South Bay Lakers in a game earlier this season. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Warriors forward Javon Johnson warms up before the start of the second half of a game against the visiting Raptors 905. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Warriors guard Donovan Williams goes up for a dunk against the South Bay Lakers. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Pat Spencer defends the Warriors’ basket from Raptors 905 forward Justise Winslow. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Warriors forward Gui Santos high-fives a courtside fan after hitting a 3-pointer. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Two young fans attempt to snag a souvenir away from Sea Dubs forward Pat Spencer. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis rises for a block. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Javan Johnson puts up a shot for the Santa Cruz Warriors. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Santa Cruz Warriors guard Donovan Williams dunks one down. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Sea Dubs guard Gui Santos (15) patiently waits under the pregame lights. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr waits to congratulate Sea Dubs players coached by his son Nick after a win. Credit: John P. Hefti / Lookout Santa Cruz
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