Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half, and Al Horford hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, as the Warriors made a thrilling comeback to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 on Wednesday night. Curry's seventh 3-pointer broke a tie with 50.4 seconds remaining, securing the 10th-seeded Warriors' victory. The team erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, finishing on a 16-6 run.
Kawhi Leonard was held scoreless in the fourth until the final 16 seconds. The Warriors will now face Phoenix on Friday, with the winner advancing to the first round of the playoffs.
The Clippers were led by Bennedict Mathurin with 23 points and Darius Garland with 21 points and eight assists, but ultimately fell short. The Warriors' victory marked a significant turnaround, considering they had gone 37-45 in the regular season and lost Jimmy Butler to injury in January. Curry's performance was particularly impressive, given his recent return from a 27-game absence due to a knee injury. The 38-year-old scored 16 points in a six-minute span in the third quarter, keeping the Warriors in contention.
The Clippers had led 98-85 with 9:53 to play, but the Warriors' furious comeback, led by Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford, ultimately proved too much for them to handle. In other NBA news, the Philadelphia 76ers secured the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 109-97 win over the Orlando Magic, despite the absence of Joel Embiid. Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, and V.J.
Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, as the 76ers moved on to a first-round series against the Boston Celtics. The NBA playoffs will begin on Sky Sports this Sunday, April 19, with four live games on Sky Sports Action from 6pm onwards.