Watch: Warriors players arrive in style with adorable dogs

The initiative was part of Golden State's deal with the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA, an animal shelter helping strays and rescues in the Bay Area find homes. As seen below, the dogs accompanying Warriors' players Friday night are now available for adoption. 

Unfortunately, the pregame injection of cuteness didn't help Golden State's performance on the court. Going up against Tyrese Haliburton and his Pacers, the Warriors suffered a tough 123-111 loss at home despite fielding a fully healthy squad for the first time in weeks. 

Stephen Curry endured one of his worst shooting nights of the season, going 6-of-18 from three and 9-of-24 overall for 25 points. As a team, the Warriors shot a paltry 14-of-48 from three and never accumulated any rhythm against a Pacers squad that is second in the NBA in PACE. 

To add insult to injury, the Lakers handled their business with a 101-94 home win over the Sixers, extending their lead to 1.5 games over the Warriors in the standings. With just three weeks left in the season, the Pacific Division rivals are embroiled in a battle for the final two play-in spots. 

At this juncture, the more desirable play-in spots — the seventh or eighth seed — are nearly out of Golden State's reach. Head coach Steve Kerr's team is four games behind the eighth-seeded Kings. If the Warriors remain the ninth or tenth seed, they'd have to win two sudden-death elimination games in next month's play-in tournament to clinch a postseason berth.