- The Comeback: Golden State erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 126-121.
- Vintage Steph: Stephen Curry exploded for 35 points, including 27 in a blistering second half.
- Playoff Path: The Warriors advance to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday for the final West seed.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Stephen Curry reminded the basketball world why you never count out a dynasty. In a high-stakes Play-In thriller at the Intuit Dome, the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors rode a vintage second-half surge to dismantle the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121, ending the Clippers’ season in dramatic fashion.
The Vintage Steph Show
For two quarters, it looked like the Warriors’ season was over. Golden State struggled to find a rhythm, trailing by double digits as Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers controlled the paint. But everything shifted when the third quarter clock started ticking. Curry, who recently returned from a 27-game knee injury absence, looked like his MVP self, pouring in 16 points in a six-minute span to keep the Warriors within striking distance.
The real fireworks happened in the fourth. Trailing 98-85 with under ten minutes to play, Golden State launched a 16-6 run. While Curry provided the gravity, 39-year-old Al Horford provided the daggers. Horford hit four crucial three-pointers in the final frame, including a corner specialty that gave the Warriors their first lead of the half. With 50.4 seconds remaining and the game tied, Curry stepped back and launched a high-arcing rainbow over John Collins. The ball found nothing but the bottom of the net, silencing the Inglewood crowd.
Box Score Breakdown
| Player | Team | Points | Key Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | GSW | 35 | 7/13 3PT |
| Kristaps Porzingis | GSW | 20 | 4 Blocks |
| Al Horford | GSW | 12 | 4/4 3PT (4th Qtr) |
| Bennedict Mathurin | LAC | 23 | 9 Rebounds |
| Kawhi Leonard | LAC | 21 | 0 Pts in 4th (until 0:16) |
What They Said
“We’ve been in these positions before. It doesn’t matter what the seed says; we have the DNA. When Steph gets that look in his eye, you just get him the ball and get out of the way.”
— Draymond Green, Warriors Forward
“It’s a tough way to go out. We had them where we wanted them, but you can’t give a shooter like that daylight. We blinked, and the lead was gone.”
— Tyronn Lue, Clippers Head Coach
Playoff Implications
The loss marks a bitter end for the Clippers, who missed the playoffs for only the third time in 15 years despite finishing the regular season with a winning record (42-40). Meanwhile, the Warriors’ “zombie” run continues. Golden State now heads to Phoenix to face the Suns on Friday. The winner of that matchup earns a date with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
