Curry Keeps Warriors Alive

Stephen Curry’s late 3-pointer finished a fourth-quarter comeback Wednesday night and kept Golden State’s season going with a 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. (espn.com) Golden State trailed 89-83 entering the fourth quarter in Inglewood, then scored 43 points in the final period. Curry finished with 35 points, including 27 after halftime, and Al Horford added four 3-pointers in the comeback. (espn.com) (washingtonpost.com) The winning sequence came in the last minute: Curry hit a contested 3, Draymond Green forced a turnover on the next possession, and Brandin Podziemski converted an and-one layup with 46 seconds left. The Warriors closed the game from there. (pressdemocrat.com) The play-in tournament gives teams that finish seventh through 10th a short path into the playoffs. Golden State did not clinch a playoff berth with this win; it moved on to the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed game. (nba.com) That next game is Friday, April 17, when the Warriors visit the Phoenix Suns at 7 p.m. Eastern for the West’s final playoff spot. The winner gets Oklahoma City in the first round, and the loser is out. (espn.com) (nba.com) Phoenix reached this game after losing the West No. 7 seed matchup to Portland on April 14. The Suns now get a second chance because the play-in format gives the No. 7 and No. 8 finishers two opportunities to qualify. (nba.com) For the Clippers, the loss ended the season immediately. Los Angeles finished 42-40 in the regular season, hosted the game, and led by nine after the first quarter before Golden State’s closing run erased it. (espn.com) For Golden State, the formula looked familiar: Curry’s shot-making late, Green’s defense on the deciding possession, and one more game added to a season that was 37-45 going into Wednesday night. Friday decides whether that rescue becomes a playoff berth. (espn.com)