Stephen Curry ignited a spectacular rally for the Golden State Warriors, delivering 35 points overall and an impressive 27 in the second half to secure a 126-121 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA play‑in tournament on Wednesday night. The comeback was highlighted by Al Horford’s clutch shooting, as he buried four three‑pointers in the final period, and by the Warriors’ relentless surge that erased a 13‑point deficit in the fourth quarter.
The decisive moment arrived when Curry nailed his seventh three‑pointer of the night, breaking a tie with just 50.4 seconds remaining. That shot gave the 10th‑seeded Warriors a narrow lead, and they closed the game on a 16‑6 run that left Kawhi Leonard scoreless for the last 16 seconds. The victory propelled the postseason‑experienced Warriors one step closer to a full‑time playoff berth, despite a 37‑45 regular‑season record and the loss of Jimmy Butler to a season‑ending injury back in January.
Looking ahead, Golden State will travel to Phoenix on Friday. The winner of that matchup will advance to face defending champion Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard contributed 21 points, but the team fell short of extending its playoff streak. Los Angeles missed the postseason for the first time since 2022, ending a remarkable run of 15 consecutive winning seasons.
Benedict Mathurin led the Clippers with 23 points, while Darius Garland added 21 points and eight assists despite battling foul trouble. The Clippers had built a 98-85 lead with just under ten minutes left, but Curry, now 38, orchestrated a furious comeback alongside veteran big men Kristaps Porzingis, who supplied 20 points, and 39‑year‑old Al Horford. Curry’s resurgence is especially noteworthy because he returned only five games ago after a 27‑game knee injury layoff.
He poured in 16 points during a six‑minute stretch of the third quarter, keeping the Warriors within striking distance as the Clippers tried to pull away. In the fourth quarter, Horford’s three‑point barrage proved decisive.
After sinking three triples in the closing minutes, his fourth three‑pointer put Golden State ahead 117-115 with just over two minutes remaining. A layup by Gui Santos with 2:45 left trimmed the Clippers’ advantage to a single point, 115-114, before Horford’s final bucket cemented the lead. Beyond the Warriors‑Clippers drama, the night featured other notable NBA action.
In Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey erupted for 31 points, while V.J. Edgecombe contributed a double‑double of 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The 76ers, playing without an injured Joel Embiid, defeated the Orlando Magic 109-97 to clinch the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Their next challenge will be a first‑round series that begins Sunday at Boston. Meanwhile, Orlando’s Desmond Bane continued to showcase his scoring prowess, dropping 34 points in a loss that still kept the Magic in contention for the No. 8 seed. Bane, who played all 82 games this season and averaged 20.1 points, hit a crucial three‑pointer that narrowed the gap to two points, and teammate Anthony Black added a triple‑double effort that pushed Orlando to a 87-86 lead at one point.
The 2026 NBA playoffs are set to kick off on Sky Sports this Sunday, April 19, with four live games broadcast on Sky Sports Action beginning at 6 p.m. BST.
The schedule includes: - 6 p.m.: East No. 7 seed vs.
Boston Celtics (Game 2) - 8:30 p.m.: West No. 8 seed vs.
Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 1) - 11 p.m.: East No. 8 seed vs. Detroit Pistons (Game 1) - 2 a.m.: Portland Trail Blazers (No. 7) vs.
San Antonio Spurs (No. 2) Sky Sports will also carry all Western Conference Finals games live from May 20 onward. The network’s coverage will feature the usual home‑court advantage notation for each series, such as Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. the eighth seed (to be confirmed), San Antonio Spurs (2) vs.
Portland Trail Blazers (7), Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6), and Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs. Houston Rockets (5). Additional play‑in matchups include: 1.
Phoenix Suns (7) 110‑114 Portland Trail Blazers (8) 2. Los Angeles Clippers (9) vs.
Golden State Warriors (10) 3. Phoenix Suns vs. Winner of Game 2 In the East, the bracket features: - Detroit Pistons (1) vs.
the eighth seed (TBC) - Boston Celtics (2) vs. the seventh seed (TBC) - New York Knicks (3) vs. Atlanta Hawks (6) - Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs.
Toronto Raptors (5) And the 76ers‑Magic series: 1. Philadelphia 76ers (7) vs. Orlando Magic (8) 2. Charlotte Hornets (9) 127‑126 Miami Heat (10) 3.
Loser of Game 1 vs. Charlotte Hornets Fans can watch the entire playoff run live on Sky Sports, subscribe to the channel, or stream without a contract via the NOW platform. The dramatic comeback in Golden State’s play‑in win exemplifies the intensity and unpredictability that define NBA postseason basketball, and it sets the stage for an exciting continuation of the 2026 playoffs.