Stephen Curry reminded everyone Wednesday night that postseason basketball still bends to individual will. The Warriors trailed the Clippers by 13 points early in the fourth quarter at Intuit Dome, then Curry poured in 27 second-half points to power a 126-121 comeback victory. [1]
Golden State shot 15-of-20 from the field and 8-of-11 from three in the final frame — a 75% clip that turned a comfortable Clippers lead into a season-ending collapse for Los Angeles. Curry added two clutch steals down the stretch to seal it. [2]
The No. 10-seeded Warriors now travel to Phoenix to face the No. 7-seeded Suns on Friday for the Western Conference's final playoff spot. The winner earns the 8-seed and a first-round date with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For Curry, now 38, this is familiar ground — doing the improbable on the road, in an elimination scenario, with the season on the line. The Warriors entered the play-in as the lowest seed in the bracket. They are now one win from the postseason.
The Suns finished 43-39 behind Devin Booker's career-high scoring average, but Kevin Durant's late-season back strain has left the team thinner than its seed suggests. Phoenix swept the two regular-season meetings in November and December, before Jimmy Butler's season-ending injury reshaped Golden State's rotation around Curry.
Friday, 10 PM Eastern, Phoenix. One game for everything.
— AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos