Stephen Curry Propels Warriors to Play-In Victory Over Clippers
Stephen Curry delivered a dominant second half as Golden State rallied past the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors won 126-121 in the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday night.
Second-half surge
Curry finished with 35 points. He scored 27 of those points after halftime. His seventh 3-pointer broke a tie with 50.4 seconds left.
Key contributors in the comeback
Al Horford hit four 3-pointers during the fourth-quarter rally. Horford’s fourth triple gave Golden State a 117-115 lead with 2:12 remaining. Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points to fuel the comeback.
Turning points late
Gui Santos’ layup with 2:45 to play cut the deficit to one point. The Warriors closed on a 16-6 run to erase a 13-point fourth-quarter hole. They held Kawhi Leonard scoreless in the fourth until the final 16 seconds.
Game context and milestones
The 10th-seeded Warriors advance after the victory. They will travel to Phoenix on Friday. The winner of that game meets defending champion Oklahoma City in the first round.
Curry returned to action five games ago from a 27-game absence with a knee injury. He scored 16 points in a six-minute stretch of the third quarter. The performance left the 38-year-old sharpshooter and his teammates one win from a playoff berth.
Clippers and individual stats
Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points for the Clippers. Bennedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23 points. Darius Garland added 21 points and eight assists despite foul trouble.
The Clippers led 98-85 with 9:53 remaining. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022. That marked only the third time during a streak of 15 consecutive winning seasons they did not advance.
Other play-in results and postseason notes
Philadelphia beat Orlando 109-97 to secure the No. 7 seed in the East. Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points. V.J. Edgecombe contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Joel Embiid had an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston. He returned to the team on Wednesday and watched the game from the bench. Maxey, an Eastern Conference All-Star starter for the first time, scored seven straight late in the fourth.
Desmond Bane averaged 20.1 points and played all 82 games. He led Orlando with 34 points in the play-in matchup. The Magic will host Charlotte on Friday for the No. 8 seed and a first-round meeting with Detroit.
Broadcast and schedule information
The 2026 NBA playoffs begin on Sky Sports on Sunday, April 19. Four live games air on Sky Sports Action starting at 6pm BST. Listed times are in British Summer Time.
- 6pm – East No. 7 seed at Boston Celtics (2)
- 8:30pm – West No. 8 seed at Oklahoma City Thunder (1)
- 11pm – East No. 8 seed at Detroit Pistons (1)
- 2am – Portland Trail Blazers (7) at San Antonio Spurs (2)
Western Conference first-round matchups include Oklahoma City (1) vs. 8th seed, San Antonio (2) vs. Portland (7), Denver (3) vs. Minnesota (6), and Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs. Houston (5). Eastern first-round matchups include Detroit (1) vs. 8th seed, Boston (2) vs. 7th seed, New York (3) vs. Atlanta (6), and Cleveland (4) vs. Toronto (5).
Filmogaz.com will continue to follow the play-in action and postseason matchups. Stephen Curry propels the Warriors in a dramatic play-in victory against the Clippers. Fans can expect more coverage and analysis ahead of Friday’s game in Phoenix.
