Stephen Curry’s clutch performance powers Warriors to victory in NBA play-in against Clippers

Warriors Secure Play-In Spot with Comeback Win Over Clippers

Stephen Curry was on fire, racking up 27 of his total 35 points in the second half as the Golden State Warriors pulled off an emotional comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers, winning 126-121 on Wednesday night.

Starting as the 10th seed, the Warriors managed to overcome a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter. A crucial three-pointer from Curry, his seventh of the night, put Golden State ahead with just 50.4 seconds left in the game.

They finished strong, going on a 16-6 run and holding Kawhi Leonard scoreless until the final moments.

With this victory, the Warriors, who had a regular-season record of 37-45, are now just one game away from the playoffs. They had faced challenges throughout the season, especially after losing Jimmy Butler in January.

Golden State will meet Phoenix on Friday, and the winner will take on the defending champion Oklahoma City in the first round.

Leonard contributed 21 points for the Clippers, who, unfortunately, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022, ending what was an impressive 15-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Benedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23 points, and Darius Garland added 21 points and eight assists, despite dealing with foul trouble.

At one point, the Clippers held a comfortable lead of 98-85 with just under ten minutes to play, but Curry, at 38 years old, alongside Kristaps Porzingis, who had 20 points, and the veteran Al Horford, who hit several key threes, rallied the Warriors for a thrilling comeback.

After looking shaky in the first half with only eight points on a poor shooting percentage, Curry exploded in the third quarter, dropping 16 points in just six minutes, which kept them in the game as the Clippers tried to pull away.

Horford’s timely threes late in the fourth helped by cutting the Clippers’ advantage to a single point. His fourth three-pointer eventually gave the Warriors the lead with just over two minutes left.

Finishing the season at 42-40, the Clippers showed resilience by recovering from a slow start. However, two late-season losses to Portland forced them into a position where they needed two victories in the play-ins to qualify for the playoffs.