Stephen Curry scored 35 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 126-121 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Wednesday. The Warriors overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit with a 39-19 run, advancing to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday for the West's No. 8 seed. The loss eliminated the Clippers from postseason contention.
The Warriors trailed by 13 points with under 10 minutes left at Intuit Dome before mounting a furious rally. Curry, who had eight points at halftime, erupted for 16 in the third quarter and 11 more in the fourth, including a stepback 3-pointer over John Collins that gave Golden State the lead with under a minute remaining. Al Horford went 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, while Draymond Green made crucial defensive plays, including two steals on Kawhi Leonard to stifle the Clippers down the stretch. Kristaps Porziņģis contributed with two putback dunks and key moments throughout. Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised Curry afterward, saying, 'This is why Steph came back. Everybody out there who thought Steph should've taken the rest of the year off, this is what he does.' The Clippers, led by Leonard's strong regular season of 27.9 points per game and 65 appearances, couldn't close out the game. They were outscored 14-2 in the final stretch according to one account. Leonard, non-committal on his future, told reporters, 'Let me cry about this loss a little more.' The elimination conveys a 2026 lottery pick back to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the prior Paul George trade. Golden State now heads to Phoenix for a win-or-go-home game Friday. A victory there would pit them against the Thunder in the first round.