Curry’s seventh three-pointer of the game broke a tie with 50.4 seconds remaining for the 10th-seeded Warriors, who overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, News.Az reports, citing AP.
Golden State closed the game on a 16-6 run and held Kawhi Leonard scoreless throughout the fourth quarter until the final 16 seconds.
Following the dramatic comeback, Curry, Draymond Green, and the battle-tested Warriors are now just one win away from another playoff appearance, despite finishing the regular season 37-45 and losing Jimmy Butler for the season in January.
Golden State will travel to face Phoenix Suns on Friday, with the winner advancing to meet defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
Leonard finished with 21 points for the Clippers, who failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2022 and only the third time during their run of 15 consecutive winning seasons. Bennedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23 points, while Darius Garland added 21 points and eight assists despite dealing with foul trouble.
The Clippers held a 98-85 lead with 9:53 remaining, but the 38-year-old Curry sparked Golden State’s comeback alongside Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 20 points, and the 39-year-old Horford.
Curry delivered a vintage second-half performance, returning just five games ago from a 27-game absence due to a knee injury. He scored 16 points in a six-minute stretch of the third quarter to keep the Warriors within reach as the Clippers threatened to pull away.
Horford then fueled the decisive run, hitting three late three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Gui Santos cut the deficit to 115-114 with a layup at the 2:45 mark, before Horford’s fourth three-pointer gave Golden State a 117-115 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
The Clippers had rallied from a difficult 6-21 start to finish 42-40, extending the NBA’s longest active streak of winning seasons to 15. However, late-season losses to Portland dropped them to the No. 9 seed, forcing them into a tougher play-in path requiring two wins to qualify for the playoffs.
After scoring just eight points on 2-of-9 shooting in the first half, Curry erupted in the third quarter, delivering 16 points and three three-pointers in a rapid six-minute burst.
Referee Ben Taylor exited shortly after halftime due to injury and was replaced by alternate official Sean Corbin.
