Heading into the locker room on Friday night with a slim two-point halftime advantage against the Dallas Mavericks, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski expressed a level of optimism about their future that bordered on extreme.

During his halftime interview with the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast team, Podziemski emphasized the team’s sense of urgency, acknowledging that they were aware of the stakes as they aimed to secure the sixth seed in the Western Conference standings, despite currently being in tenth place and trailing by only three games.

Despite their recent defensive improvements and a six-game winning streak, which included erasing a 16-point deficit in their current game, the Warriors knew they still had a long way to go to achieve their goal.

The possibility of extending their streak to seven games seemed within reach, but it ultimately depended on Draymond Green replicating his exceptional performance, Stephen Curry overcoming the Mavericks’ relentless defense, and their late-game defense holding up. Unfortunately, Green and Curry fell short, with the latter coming close, and the defense couldn’t make the crucial stop needed to force overtime. The 108-106 loss in Dallas served as a sobering reminder of the challenges that still lay ahead for the Golden State Warriors.

With the Warriors trailing the sixth-place Phoenix Suns by four games and having just five games left in the season, the possibility of securing the No. 6 seed seems distant, requiring nothing short of a series of miraculous events, which have been exceedingly rare throughout this season.

This game against Dallas marked Golden State’s 45th “clutch” game, a defining factor in their 2023-24 season. Unfortunately, too many of these close games have ended in favor of their opponents. Despite tying the game 106-106 with a clutch jumper from Stephen Curry in the final seconds, the Warriors couldn’t seal the deal.

The Mavericks, without their star player Luka Dončić but still equipped with Kyrie Irving, managed to execute a game-winning play with Tim Hardaway Jr. finding P.J. Washington for a layup with just 4.5 seconds left on the clock. Although coach Steve Kerr expressed satisfaction with the defensive effort, acknowledging the challenging circumstances, it was evident that Golden State’s late-game rotations remained a work in progress, exacerbated by injuries to key defenders like Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins.

The absence of their defensive prowess was felt, particularly in crucial moments like the final possession against Dallas. Despite a valiant effort from the Warriors, highlighted by a resilient second unit that sparked a comeback in the first quarter, they ultimately faltered in the face of a younger and more energetic Mavericks squad, succumbing to a defeat that further emphasized the challenges they continue to face late in games.