Jimmy Butler was not downbeat after the Golden State Warriors slid into the Play-In Tournament in a dramatic regular-season finale, saying: "We're right where we want to be."

The Warriors dropped to seventh in the Western Conference by losing three of their final five games in the regular season, with the last of those coming against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

They went down by a 124-119 scoreline in overtime, with James Harden scoring 12 of his 39 points in the additional period, including two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.

That meant that despite Stephen Curry having 36 points and making seven 3s, it was the Clippers that secured the fifth seed in the West.

But while the Warriors must now host the Memphis Grizzlies in a Play-In game on Tuesday, Butler is still optimistic regarding their hopes.  

"We're right where we want to be," Butler said after finishing with 30 points and nine assists. 

"We've still got an opportunity, and we control our own fate. We're going to be just fine."

Tuesday, April 15
7p PT@kpthrive || 2025 Play-In Tournament pic.twitter.com/B1ugLX9yCb

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 13, 2025

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was criticised in the aftermath of the game, as Jonathan Kuminga sat out the team's most important contest of the season despite being active.

But Kerr said that decision was about maintaining the team's rhythm, saying: "We've just found a group since Jimmy got here that we're pretty comfortable with. 

"Gui [Santos] didn't play either, and Gui's been our highest plus-minus guy over the last two months. Both have been really impactful players for us. 

"It doesn't mean they're out of the loop going forward, this is just how this game played out. 

"I just told [Kuminga] in the walkthrough that we were going to change the usual rotation. I didn't tell him he wasn't going to play, because I wasn’t sure if he was going to play or not."

The Clippers, meanwhile, will face the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.