Warriors defeat Wizards, improve play-in positioning

Golden State rallies late to top Washington and strengthen its hold on a Western Conference play-in spot.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 10:35am by Ben Kaplan

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The Golden State Warriors defeated the Washington Wizards 131-126 on Friday night in San Francisco. Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 points and Brandin Podziemski recorded a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the Warriors, who went on a late 19-5 run to erase a five-point deficit and secure their third straight victory. Gui Santos and Podziemski hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the decisive spurt, as the Warriors shot 19-for-44 from beyond the arc as a team.

Why it matters

The win helps the Warriors improve their positioning for the Western Conference play-in round, as they look to secure a spot in the NBA playoffs. The Wizards, meanwhile, continue to struggle, sitting at just 17-56 on the season.

The details

Golden State (36-38) went on a 19-5 run late in the fourth quarter to erase a five-point deficit and defeat the Wizards. Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the decisive spurt. The Warriors shot 19-for-44 from 3-point range as a team, with Kristaps Porzingis (5-of-11) and LJ Cryer (4-of-10) also hitting multiple triples. Washington (17-56) got a balanced scoring effort, with 66 points coming from its bench, but was limited to just 10 free throw attempts compared to 31 for the Warriors.

  • The game was played on Friday, March 28, 2026.

The players

Kristaps Porzingis

A forward for the Golden State Warriors who scored 28 points in the game.

Brandin Podziemski

A forward for the Golden State Warriors who recorded a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Gui Santos

A guard for the Golden State Warriors who hit a key 3-pointer during the team's late run.

Will Riley

A guard for the Washington Wizards who scored a team-high 22 points off the bench.

Bilal Coulibaly

A forward for the Washington Wizards who scored 21 points but was limited to 19 minutes due to a heel injury.

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What they’re saying

“We knew we had to dig deep and make some plays down the stretch to get this win. The guys stepped up and made the shots when we needed them most.”

— Steve Kerr, Head Coach, Golden State Warriors

What’s next

The Warriors will look to continue their push for a play-in spot when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. The Wizards will try to snap their losing skid when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.

The takeaway

The Warriors' late-game heroics and 3-point shooting prowess proved to be the difference, as they were able to overcome a scrappy effort from the struggling Wizards to improve their positioning in the Western Conference play-in race.