In the seventeenth yr of a Hall of Fame profession, NBA groups are nonetheless wrestling with the query, “What do you do with Stephen Curry?”
The Los Angeles Clippers didn’t have a passable reply on Wednesday within the NBA play-in event, and now their season is over. The Warriors will advance to the subsequent leg of the play-in after a 126-121 win and go to the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
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Curry, who solely returned from a knee harm 10 days in the past, completed the sport with 35 factors regardless of a gradual second half. That included the 3-pointer that gave the Warriors the lead for good within the closing minute.
It was an agonizing sport for the Clippers, who took a double-digit lead seven completely different occasions through the sport and saved letting the benefit slip away.
Kawhi Leonard principally regarded like a star, however the workforce’s lack of firepower and one-dimensional function gamers was obvious as soon as the stress of a totally useful Curry hit. Also not serving to was Darius Garland spending a lot of the sport in foul bother, and the truth that Brook Lopez was second on the workforce in discipline objective makes an attempt.
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Curry was theoretically enjoying on a minutes restrict from his harm, however nonetheless logged 36 minutes, second-most on his workforce. He had a tough first half with 8 factors on 2-of-9 capturing, then posted 27 on 10-of-14 capturing within the second.
He obtained loads of assist from his supporting solid as nicely. Draymond Green did an unimaginable job of locking down Curry within the fourth quarter, Al Horford hit some large pictures down the stretch and Kristaps Porzingis was Golden State’s greatest participant on the ground till Curry obtained going. They may nonetheless be lacking Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody, however that group of veterans made all of it attainable.
How far will that take the Warriors? Maybe not far, with one other must-win sport forward and the Oklahoma City Thunder ready within the first spherical, however a minimum of they’re not the Clippers, whose unprotected draft decide will now be a lottery decide for that Thunder group (Paul George had 16 factors on 6-of-16 capturing within the first sport).
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Tyrese Maxey leads Sixers to playoffs
Earlier within the night time, the Philadelphia 76ers used 31 points from Tyrese Maxey to claim the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and book their ticket to the first round of the playoffs, the place they may face the No. 2 seeded Boston Celtics.
The Magic, in the meantime, are in jeopardy of lacking out on the principle bracket. Orlando’s season will likely be on the road Friday night time, when it can welcome in a Charlotte Hornets workforce that’s buzzing after it opened the play-in event with an overtime win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday. Whoever wins will declare the No. 8 seed and tackle the top-seeded Detroit Pistons within the opening spherical of the playoffs.
Follow together with Yahoo Sports because the Magic tackle the Sixers and the Warriors tackle the Clippers within the NBA play-in event:
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Jack Baer
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Yahoo Sports
The NBA’s investigation into the Clippers for alleged salary-cap circumvention with Kawhi Leonard has hung over the franchise all season.
The league hasn’t introduced a timeframe for revealing the findings of its probe — and any attainable punishment for the Clippers — but it surely stands to cause it ought to come someday this offseason.
This a lot is for certain: The Clippers’ 2026 first-round decide is headed to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Los Angeles owes it to OKC for the Paul George commerce, which helped the Clippers safe Leonard in free company.
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Yahoo Sports
Golden State’s vets — Steph Curry, Draymond Curry and Al Horford — got here to the rescue within the fourth quarter.
Horford made 4 of the Warriors’ seven 3-pointers within the fourth quarter. Curry added the tie-breaking 3 with 50.4 seconds left on his strategy to 35 factors. Green tweaked his knee then got here up with the 2 most essential defensive performs of the sport that iced the victory for Golden State within the closing seconds.
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Yahoo Sports
The Warriors rallied previous the Clippers due to seven 3-pointers within the fourth quarter and a few clutch protection by Draymond Green.
The Warriors will face the Phoenix Suns on Friday for the correct to face the Oklahoma City Thunder within the first spherical.
The Clippers’ season is over.
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Yahoo Sports
Draymond Green deflected the Clippers’ inbounds’ move resulting in a fast-break try for Brandin Podziemski, whose lay-in try was goaltended as he was fouled.
Green stripped Kawhi Leonard for an additional turnover the Warrriors become a FT by Curry.
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Yahoo Sports
Curry silences the Clippers crowd by breaking a tie sport with one other 3-pointer with 50.4 seconds left.
Warriors 120, Clippers 117.
Clippers ball.
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Yahoo Sports
A fourth 3-pointer from Horford gave Golden State the lead with about two minutes left — their first lead because the second quarter.
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Yahoo Sports
Three straight 3-pointers by Al Horford had the Warriors inside two factors with below 4 minutes left. Then Brook Lopez answered with a 3 for the Clippers.
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Yahoo Sports
Funny how that occurs. A 3-pointer by Gui Santos adopted by one other 3 from Steph Curry halves the Clippers’ lead. Kristaps Porzingis drove for an and-1 then drilled a 3-pointer of his personal, and all of the sudden Golden State is inside 100-97 with 8:16 left.
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Jack Baer
The Clippers’ lead is as much as 13, their largest of the sport, because the Warriors sit Curry for the primary two-plus minutes of the fourth quarter.
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Jack Baer
The greatest you’ll be able to say for the Clippers with 1 / 4 to go is they simply took the Stephen Curry flurry and are nonetheless up by six, due to some well timed capturing of their very own. They have already got 5 gamers scoring in double digits, led by Kawhi Leonard with 19, whereas Curry is as much as 24 factors on the night time.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
Darius Garland is as much as 5 fouls, and Kawhi Leonard additionally simply had a lay-up get reviewed into an offensive foul. Looks just like the Clippers are conserving Garland on the market.
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Jack Baer
Stephen Curry struggled within the first half. He now has 16 factors within the second half and is 3-for-3 from deep.
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Jack Baer
The Warriors have narrowed the deficit to 2 factors with a 10-2 run. Stephen Curry already has 10 factors on 4-of-5 capturing this quarter.
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Jack Baer
Official Ben Taylor limps off the court docket with what seemed to be a pulled hamstring. In comes the alternate ref after an prolonged break.
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Jack Baer
Los Angeles leads on the half, with Kawhi Leonard at 14 factors and 6 rebounds. The greatest that may be stated for the Warriors is that they’re solely down single digits in a sport the place Stephen Curry briefly exited with an obvious harm and is at the moment capturing 2-of-9 from the sector.
Kristaps Porzingis and Brandin Podziemski have been the very best gamers on the ground for Golden State, whereas Darius Garland has been an efficient co-star for Leonard to date.
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Jack Baer
Kawhi Leonard is ridiculous. He simply went coast-to-coast with a number of Warriors in his pocket, or worse. Someone ought to have been referred to as for a foul, however he makes it to the baseline with the ball and will get the 2 most-earned factors of the night time.
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Jack Baer
Astonishing ranges of (ineffective) cringe.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
Clippers take a 9-point lead with 3:24 left within the first half and Kawhi Leonard is beginning to take over. He has 11 factors, 5 rebounds and three assists.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry is at 3 factors on 1-of-6 capturing, the Warriors have mixed for 8 turnovers and Draymond Green simply obtained referred to as for a tech out of the break.
