Clippers’ historic comeback
The Los Angeles Clippers mounted a historic recovery, finishing the season 42‑40 after starting 6‑21 by going 36‑19 down the stretch—the first NBA team ever to climb back from 15 games below.500. (x.com). The late‑season surge pushed them back above.500 and into playoff contention following months of turbulence. (x.com).
The Los Angeles Clippers closed the regular season at 42-40 on April 12 after spending December 18 at 6-21, a 15-games-below-.500 hole. (nba.com) The climb back took 55 games: Los Angeles went 36-19 after that 6-21 start and beat the Golden State Warriors 115-110 on Sunday to finish ninth in the Western Conference. (nba.com) NBA.com’s play-in bracket lists the Clippers at 42-40 and the No. 9 seed, with a home elimination game against the No. 10 Warriors on April 15 at Intuit Dome. (nba.com) The turnaround came after a season that opened with roster upheaval and a long skid. The Clippers signed center Brook Lopez on July 6, 2025, then traded James Harden to Cleveland for guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick on February 4, 2026. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Basketball-Reference’s game log shows how deep the slide went: Los Angeles lost 21 of 27 games between November 3 and December 18, then won six straight from December 20 through January 1 to start the recovery. (basketball-reference.com) By April 8, with the Clippers at 41-38, The Sporting Tribune reported that no NBA team had previously climbed back above.500 after falling 15 games below it in the same season. Tyronn Lue said the group had the “mental fortitude” to move past the early losses. (thesportingtribune.com) The late push was not built on a top-tier offense. Basketball-Reference lists the Clippers 23rd in scoring at 113.8 points per game, 11th in offensive rating at 117.2, and 10th in points allowed at 112.7 through 81 games, a profile closer to a middle seed than a bottom-feeder. (basketball-reference.com) The season also looked unstable deep into winter. Basketball-Reference shows the Clippers still at 23-27 on February 4, the day Garland arrived, before they played their final 32 games with the postseason still reachable. (basketball-reference.com) Now the math is simple: a team that was 6-21 in December gets one home game on April 15 to keep its season alive. The comeback changed the standings; the playoffs still require one more win. (nba.com)
