Warriors eliminate Clippers

Golden State beat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 on Wednesday night, ending the Clippers’ season and sending the Warriors on in the Western Conference play-in. (apnews.com) Stephen Curry scored 35 points and put up 27 of them after halftime, while the Warriors erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. (apnews.com) Al Horford added four three-pointers during the late comeback, and Golden State closed on a 16-5 run over the final 9:53. (nba.com) The play-in is the National Basketball Association’s four-team, last-chance bracket for seeds seven through 10 in each conference. In the 9-versus-10 game, the loser is eliminated immediately, which is what happened to the Clippers on April 15. (sports.yahoo.com) Golden State entered as the No. 10 seed in the West and stayed alive long enough to earn one more game for the conference’s final playoff spot. Los Angeles came in as the No. 9 seed and had no margin for error. (cbssports.com) The Warriors now play the Phoenix Suns on Friday, April 17, with the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed at stake. The 2026 National Basketball Association playoffs begin April 18. (usatoday.com) That setup leaves Golden State one win from the main playoff bracket and leaves the Clippers out before the first round starts. Yahoo Sports described the format plainly: the losing teams in these elimination games are done for the year. (sports.yahoo.com) Curry said after the game, “That’s what you live for,” after another late scoring burst in a season now extended by at least 48 hours. (forbes.com) Friday’s game against Phoenix is now the hinge point: win, and Golden State claims the No. 8 seed; lose, and its season ends the way the Clippers’ did on Wednesday. (foxsports.com)