NBA: 5 bold predictions for the stretch run in the Western Conference

NBA Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
NBA Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
5 of 6
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

The Golden State Warriors will continue to fade into the stretch run

The Golden State Warriors have been one of the biggest stories in the Western Conference this season but have begun to fade in the standings over the last few weeks.

On January 4, the Warriors were in first place in the West with a 29-7 record. Since then, however, the Warriors are just 13-10 and have slipped to third place in the conference. I predict that they’re going to continue to struggle in the stretch run and will fall to third in the standings heading into the playoffs.

I think the Warriors are going to struggle as they try to reacclimate some of their injured players back into a more consistent rotation. This is not to say that the Warriors are not going to make a deep playoff run necessarily, but that they’re going to suffer in the standings.