Stephen Curry ignited a dramatic comeback for the Golden State Warriors, delivering 35 points—27 of them in the second half—to secure a 126-121 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday night. The veteran guard’s seventh three‑pointer, a clutch shot with just 50.4 seconds remaining, broke a tie and propelled the 10th‑seeded Warriors past a 13‑point fourth‑quarter hole. Al Horford added a vital spark, nailing four three‑point shots, including the decisive bucket that gave Golden State a 117-115 lead with just over two minutes left.
Golden State closed the game on a 16-6 run, stifling Kawhi Leonard’s scoring in the final sixteen seconds. The Warriors, who finished the regular season 37-45 and lost All‑Star forward Jimmy Butler to a season‑ending injury in January, now sit just one win away from a full‑blown playoff berth. Their next challenge is an away game against the Phoenix Suns on Friday; the winner will advance to face defending champion Oklahoma City in the first round.
Leonard contributed 21 points for the Clippers, who missed the postseason for the first time since 2022, ending a remarkable stretch of 15 straight winning seasons. Bennedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23 points, while Darius Garland added 21 points and eight assists despite battling foul trouble.
The Clippers had built a 98-85 advantage with 9:53 left in the game, but the 38‑year‑old Curry, alongside veteran big men Kristaps Porzingis (20 points) and Al Horford (four threes), orchestrated a furious comeback. Curry’s resurgence has been a story of perseverance. After a 27‑game layoff due to a knee injury, he returned to the lineup only five games ago and immediately made his presence felt.
In the third quarter, he poured in 16 points over a six‑minute span, keeping the Warriors within striking distance as the Clippers tried to extend their lead. The turning point arrived in the fourth when Horford’s three‑point barrage, capped by a fourth triple that pushed the lead to 117-115, forced the Clippers into a scramble. The game also featured a brief interlude of unrelated NBA news, noting that the Philadelphia 76ers, despite missing Joel Embiid after an emergency appendectomy, defeated the Orlando Magic 109-97 to clinch the No.
7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Tyrese Maxey’s 31 points and V.J. Edgecombe’s double‑double (19 points, 11 rebounds) propelled the Sixers, while Orlando’s Desmond Bane shouldered the scoring load with 34 points. These updates, while peripheral to the Warriors‑Clippers matchup, illustrate the broader context of the NBA’s play‑in and playoff picture.
Looking ahead, the 2026 NBA playoffs will kick off on Sky Sports this Sunday, April 19, with a slate of live games beginning at 6 p.m. British Summer Time.
The schedule includes matchups such as the East’s No. 7 seed versus the Boston Celtics, the West’s No. 8 seed versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Warriors’ own clash with Phoenix. Sky Sports will also broadcast the Western Conference Finals starting May 20, ensuring fans can follow every critical moment.
The Warriors’ victory over the Clippers underscores the importance of experience and resilience in high‑stakes games. Curry’s ability to score in bursts, Horford’s timely shooting, and Porzingis’s interior presence combined to erase a sizable deficit and demonstrate that even a lower‑seeded team can thrive when veteran leadership clicks. As Golden State prepares for the next hurdle in Phoenix, they will rely on the same blend of veteran poise and youthful energy that carried them through this thrilling comeback.
If the Warriors can replicate this intensity against the Suns, they will not only secure a spot in the first round but also prove that a sub‑.500 regular‑season record does not preclude a deep postseason run. Their journey serves as a reminder that the NBA playoffs are often decided by momentum, clutch performances, and the capacity to seize opportunities when they arise. The narrative of Curry’s redemption, Horford’s sharpshooting, and the Warriors’ collective grit will continue to unfold as the play‑in tournament progresses, offering fans a compelling storyline that blends individual heroics with team resilience.