Warriors come back against Clippers in final quarter to progress in play-in tournament.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Stephen Curry netted 27 of his 35 points in the second half, while Al Horford contributed four 3-pointers during Golden State’s thrilling fourth-quarter resurgence, leading the Warriors to a 126-121 triumph over the LA Clippers in the NBA’s play-in tournament on Wednesday night.
Curry’s seventh 3-pointer broke a tie with 50.4 seconds remaining for the 10th-seeded Warriors, who overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Golden State concluded the game with a 16-6 run and kept Kawhi Leonard scoreless in the fourth until the final 16 seconds.
Following this remarkable comeback, Curry, Draymond Green, and the experienced Warriors are one game away from securing another playoff spot, despite finishing the regular season with a 37-45 record and losing Jimmy Butler for the season in January.
The Warriors are set to face Phoenix on Friday, with the winner advancing to play defending champion Oklahoma City in the first round.
Leonard scored 21 points for the Clippers, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022 and only the third time during their streak of 15 consecutive winning seasons. Bennedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23 points, while Darius Garland added 21 points and eight assists despite facing foul trouble.
The Clippers held a 98-85 lead with 9:53 remaining, but the 38-year-old Curry spearheaded Golden State’s intense comeback alongside Kristaps Porzingis, who contributed 20 points, and the 39-year-old Horford.
Golden State witnessed a classic second-half performance from Curry, who returned just five games ago from a 27-game absence due to a knee injury. He scored 16 points in a six-minute stretch of the third quarter to keep the Warriors competitive while the Clippers threatened to pull away.
After Horford made three 3-pointers in the closing moments of the fourth quarter, Gui Santos’ layup with 2:45 left narrowed the Clippers’ lead to 115-114. Horford’s fourth 3-pointer then gave the Warriors a 117-115 advantage with 2:12 remaining.
The Clippers rebounded from a tumultuous 6-21 start to finish with a 42-40 record in this franchise’s 15th consecutive winning season, the longest active streak in the NBA. However, two late-season losses to Portland relegated Los Angeles to the No. 9 seed, necessitating two play-in victories instead of one to reach the playoffs.
After scoring only eight points on 2-for-9 shooting in the first half, Curry exploded for 16 points and connected on three 3-pointers in six dynamic minutes of the third quarter.
Referee Ben Taylor exited shortly after halftime due to an injury and was replaced by alternate referee Sean Corbin.
