The long-awaited NBA postseason is here, beginning with the win-or-go home NBA Play-In Tournament. The Golden State Warriors go on the road, just under 400 miles down Intestate 5, to face the Los Angeles Clippers in an elimination game at Intuit Dome on April 15.
Both teams enter this do-or-die game battered and bruised after a long, 82-game season. The Warriors lost key players, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, both out for the season. Stephen Curry missed 27 consecutive games for Golden State with a nagging runner’s knee injury, but he came back with a handful of games remaining in the regular season to help boost the Warriors’ chances of advancing in the playoffs.
The Clippers started their season 6-21 and were written off by many, except themselves. They rallied to finish the season 42-40. Along the way, the Clippers were led by their All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, who played 65 games and averaged 27.9 points on 50.5% from the field, 38% from 3 and 89% on free throws. The Clippers made a trade deadline acquisition, sending James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland, a dynamic point guard who fits their future timeline.
It’s a do-or-die situation in the NBA Play-in Tournament. Will it be the Clippers, a team that has rallied in the second part of the season to give their fans newfound hope and realistic shot at the postseason? Or will it be the Warriors, who have trended downward in the latter part of the regular season but have rested to get guys as healthy as possible for the postseason?
Here are storylines to follow during the game, and what each team needs to do to have a chance to secure a victory and advance to Friday’s No. 8-seed play-in game:
Warriors-Clippers storylines
The Warriors and Clippers faced each other four times during the 2025-26 regular season. The Clippers got the best of the regular-season series having won three of the four meetings.
In their head-to-head matchups, the Clippers have averaged 102.75 points per game, while the Warriors averaged 98 points.
The Warriors have barely edged the Clippers in their all-time postseason meetings, Golden State has the slight advantage with a 7-6 all-time record.
Both teams could look drastically different at the end of the season. Kawhi Leonard has a contract that expires in 2027, but following an NBA investigation into an endorsement deal in which Leonard denied any wrongdoing, that situation will be something to monitor into the summer.
The Warriors are preparing for a huge offseason that includes a decision to make with Draymond Green and his expiring contract. But before they can focus on the summer transactions, there is meaningful basketball to be played. Here are some in-game storylines to consider.
Superstar matchup: Steph Curry vs Kawhi Leonard
There’s something special about the postseason when superstar talent goes toe-to-toe with each other. When it’s a pair of stars who dominated the previous decade and much of this one, and you’re not sure when you’ll see greatness go head-to-head again, it’s a spectacle to view.
The Warriors and Clippers matchup is a highly anticipated one because it’s a chance to see Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard face each other in the postseason for perhaps the final time. Leonard has the slightly better playoff win percentage against Curry, going 8-5 in their 13 matchups.
The last time these two saw each other in the postseason was the 2019 NBA Finals, when Leonard played for the Toronto Raptors. Leonard went to lead the Raptors to the championship in six games and was named Finals MVP after Warriors suffered key injuries to Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
Curry got the best of Leonard during the 2017 Western Conference Finals, however. Leonard was injured in Game 1 and missed the remainder of the series. The Warriors won the series and went on to win the NBA championship.
During the 2025-26 season, Curry averaged 23.3 points, 5.7 assists and four rebounds on 44%/31%/87% shooting splits in three games against the Clippers. Leonard averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in three games against the Warriors.
Only one will get the last laugh during the 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament game.
Which second unit will show up for stars?
As much of the attention will be focused on the marquee players, the second unit and bench production will be a key component to this game. Los Angeles has the better secondary unit, at least on paper. Its team consists of a number of dependable scoring options and shot makers such as Bennedict Mathurin, Kobe Sanders, John Collins and Jordan Miller. The Clippers have guys who aren’t afraid to get scrappy, such as Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Collins and Mathurin. The Clippers benched averaged 30 points per game.
But the Warriors have guys who aren’t big names, but have stepped up when their numbers have been called. The Warriors’ secondary unit has averaged 45 points per game. Key bench players for Golden State have been Pat Spencer, Gary Payton II, Gui Santos and Al Horford. When the Warriors’ second unit is defensive minded, and play a balanced game of attacking and knocking down 3s, they are hard to beat.
Production from secondary scorers, options
The Warriors made a midseason trade for Kristaps Porzingis, who has averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 23.7 minutes in 15 games with Golden State.
Porzingis filled a much-needed void at the center position, adding size and shooting capability as one of his strong suits. The Warriors will need his offensive and defensive presence to give them a chance to win. He was brought to the team to add some championship experience. He was a part of the team that helped the 2024 Boston Celtics win the trophy, along with Horford. Golden State looks for Porzingis and Horford to channel that with the experience of Green, Curry and Kerr.
For the Clippers, they made a trade deadline move to bring in Garland. The Clippers were rolling after the 6-21 start and continued to trend in that direction after the trade that sent James Harden to the Cavaliers. Garland has been a bright spot for the Clippers and seems to be a piece for their future. He can showcase that he belongs in Los Angeles’ future plans with a monster performance during the NBA Play-In Tournament and possibly playoffs.
Garland has averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 19 games with the Clippers. He’s shooting splits are 46%/39%/86%.
Warriors vs. Clippers projected lineup
Here are the projected lineups for the No. 9/10 seed game between the Warriors and Clippers.
Golden State Warriors projected lineup:
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Guard: Brandin Podziemski
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Forward: De’Anthony Melton
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Center: Kristaps Porzingis
Los Angeles Clippers projected lineup:
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Forward: Derrick Jones Jr.
Watch NBA play-in games on Prime Video
How to watch Warriors vs Clippers: TV, live streaming for NBA play-in game
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Date: Wednesday, April 15
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Time: 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local)
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Location: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
Warriors vs Clippers prediction: NBA play-in game picks
USA TODAY Sports: Slim majority pick Clippers
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Mark Giannotto: Warriors
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James H. Williams: Clippers
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Marcus D. Smith: Warriors
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors vs. Clippers lineups, storylines for Play-In Tournament game
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