Curry’s vintage night

Stephen Curry dragged Golden State past the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, keeping the Warriors alive with 35 points in a 126-121 play-in win. (nba.com) Curry scored 27 of his 35 points after halftime and hit seven 3-pointers at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. His go-ahead 3 with 50 seconds left broke a tie after Golden State erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. (nba.com) Al Horford, 39, hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter in just his third game back from a strained right calf, and Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Clippers were eliminated with the loss. (nba.com) The National Basketball Association’s play-in tournament is a four-team race in each conference for the last two playoff spots. Seeds 7 and 8 get two chances to qualify, while seeds 9 and 10 must win twice. (nba.com) Golden State entered the West play-in as the No. 10 seed at 37-45, while Los Angeles was No. 9 at 42-40. By winning on April 15, the Warriors advanced and the Clippers’ season ended before the first round. (nba.com) The result also clarified the Western Conference bracket. The Warriors moved into the final play-in game for the No. 8 seed against the Phoenix Suns, while the Portland Trail Blazers had already secured the No. 7 seed and a first-round series with the San Antonio Spurs. (nba.com) The rest of the West first round is already set: the Oklahoma City Thunder await the No. 8 seed, the Los Angeles Lakers face the Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets meet the Minnesota Timberwolves. Game 1s begin April 18 and April 19. (nba.com) The East also took shape Wednesday. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 to clinch the No. 7 seed, leaving Boston and Detroit waiting on the final play-in winners, with Cleveland set to face Toronto and New York set to face Atlanta. (nba.com) For Curry, the performance came in just his fifth game back from a 27-game absence with a knee injury. “This is what you work all year for,” he said after the win. (nba.com) Golden State still needs one more win to reach a full seven-game series, but Curry’s night pushed the Warriors one step from Oklahoma City and kept their season going into Friday. (nba.com)