Clippers’ historic comeback
The Clippers pulled off a comeback that pushed them back above.500 after a stretch of 15 games below the mark, a run that doubled as a late‑season momentum swing. (x.com) (x.com).
The Los Angeles Clippers finished 42-40 on April 12 after beating Golden State 115-110, completing the first known climb back above.500 from 15 games under in the same season. (nba.com) (espn.com) The Clippers were 6-21 on December 20, 2025, after a 103-88 win over the Los Angeles Lakers left them still 15 games below.500. They closed the regular season 36-19 from that point, according to season schedule and record listings. (nba.com) (statmuse.com) The move back over.500 happened on March 11, when Los Angeles beat Minnesota 153-128 and reached 35-34. The National Basketball Association’s game notes for the April 15 play-in game say that win made the Clippers the first team to get back above.500 after falling 15 games below in the same season. (nba.com) That matters in mid-April because the Clippers did not turn the rally into a top-six playoff seed. Their 42-40 record sent them to the Western Conference play-in tournament, where they are scheduled to host Golden State at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, April 15. (nba.com) (espn.com) The late push changed their position more than once in the final week. Los Angeles beat Dallas 116-103 on April 7, lost at Portland 116-97 on April 10, then beat Golden State 115-110 on April 12 to finish eighth in the West. (nba.com) (espn.com) The April 12 win was tight into the fourth quarter. ESPN’s box score shows the Clippers trailed 81-83 entering the final period before outscoring the Warriors 32-29, with Bennedict Mathurin scoring 20 points and Stephen Curry scoring 24 for Golden State. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The season arc was uneven even during the recovery. The Clippers lost back-to-back games to New Orleans on March 18 and March 19 after earlier climbing into the race, then steadied themselves with late wins over Sacramento, Dallas and Golden State. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The comeback did not erase the hole from November and December. The schedule in the Clippers’ game notes shows losses in 15 of 20 games from November 23 through December 18, the stretch that dragged them to 5-20 before the December 20 win over the Lakers. (nba.com) Now the same team that spent nearly three months under.500 gets one more shot at a full playoff berth. The Clippers enter Wednesday’s play-in game at 42-40, with the league’s own notes already framing the season as a one-of-one turnaround. (nba.com) (espn.com)
