INGLEWOOD, Calif. — At the start of the fourth quarter, in 2:33 without Stephen Curry or Kawhi Leonard on the court, the Clippers were +4, stretching their lead over the Warriors to as much as 13.
It didn’t feel like enough — Stephen Curry was starting to heat up.
It wasn’t.
Curry scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half — hitting 5-of-7 from deep — despite clearly being bothered by his troublesome right knee. It sparked a fourth-quarter double-digit comeback win by the Warriors, 126-121 in a dramatic play-in game.
“Everybody out there who thought Steph should have taken the rest of the year off, this is what he does,” coach Steve Kerr said, pounding the table. “This is who he is.”
With this win, the Warriors advance and will travel to Phoenix on Friday for a win-and-you ‘re-in final play-in game. The Clippers’ season has come to an early and unceremonious end, despite an impressive second half of the season.
It wasn’t just Curry who lifted the Warriors. Al Horford turned back the clock in the fourth quarter and went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc in the frame. Draymond Green had a strong defensive night against Kawhi Leonard, including a clutch steal near half court to help seal the win. The Warriors got 20-point games from Gui Santons (on 9-of-13 shooting) and Kristaps Porzingis (8-of-12).
“I just told [the team], with all the wins we’ve ever had here, a lot of them there was a lot more at stake, this is right up there,” Kerr said. “Just because, where we are and our age and the decline of our performance this year, and the injuries, it was just a display of just a beautiful display of competitive will.
A big part of what the Warriors did was keep Leonard in check. He finished with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but was just 2-of-6 with Green as the primary defender. More than just Green, the Warriors brought early doubles when Leonard started to face up and make his move. This stat sums up the Clippers’ night: In the first half, LA was +16 in Leonard’s 20 minutes, but -8 in the four minutes he sat. For the Game, Leonard was +7.
Bennedict Mathurin led the Clippers with 23 points off the bench, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Darius Garland finished with 21 points but battled foul trouble most of the night.
The Clippers now head into the postseason with a cloud hanging over them in the form of the league investigation into Leonard and the franchise’s dealings with former team sponsor Aspiration. There is speculation around the league about the future of Leonard with the Clippers, a team that traded away James Harden and Ivica Zubac during the season.
The day will come when the Warriors need to answer questions about their future, but for now the only future that matters to them is Friday night in Phoenix and a chance to get back into the playoffs.
“We’ve had a really difficult season in many ways, and we’re looking at it like the free swing,” Kerr said of the play-in before the game. “If we can go get a win tonight, get another crack at it Friday, and we’re in the tournament, and then you got a chance, and that’s all, that’s all you really want.”
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