The Golden State Warriors will have to go through the Play-In Tournament to secure a playoff spot, having suffered a devastating 124-119 overtime loss to the L.A. Clippers in the regular season finale at Chase Center on Sunday afternoon.
With the winner securing a playoff spot and the loser condemned to the Play-In Tournament, both teams left it all on the line as the stars came out to play. Stephen Curry was brilliant in the fourth-quarter and overtime with 21 points, but it wasn't enough as James Harden came back to bite his long-time rivals.
A Warriors overtime loss could be compounded by a Jimmy Butler injury
A Curry three had given Golden State a 111-107 lead with under two minutes remaining, but the Clippers scored the final four points of regulation then had a chance to win it, only for Draymond Green to come up with a defensive stop on Kawhi Leonard.
Harden then had 12 of the Clippers' 13 points, but the Warriors will come back to rue their last two offensive possessions where Green missed a point-blank layup and Buddy Hield missed a potential game-tying three in the final seconds.
There was also a significant injury scare for Golden State in the final minute, with Jimmy Butler suffering a contact leg injury following a collision with a driving Leonard. Butler was otherwise terrific particularly through the first three-quarters, finishing with 30 points and nine assists on 12-of-20 shooting in 48 minutes of game-time.
The danger scenario has arrived for the Warriors. They lose 3 of last 5 and fall into play-in bracket. Warriors vs Grizzlies for #7 seed and Rockets matchup. Jimmy Butler played 48 minutes today and took a late Kawhi knee to the thigh. Steph/Draymond 38 minutes.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 13, 2025
Curry had 36 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 7-of-12 from 3-point range, yet the Warriors were a -16 in his 38 minutes. A Butler-led run without Curry had given Golden State a 12-point advantage in the first-half, only for the Clippers to bounce-back as a Norman Powell buzzer-beating three gave the visitors a 60-58 half-time lead.
Brandin Podziemski had 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in 43 minutes, while Steve Kerr also closed with Gary Payton II who played 25 minutes off the bench. The defensive-minded guard did little to stop Harden down the stretch though, with the former MVP finishing with 39 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists on an efficient 13-of-23 shooting.
Leonard also did his thing with 33 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while Ivica Zubac took advantage of Golden State's lack of size with 22 points and 17 rebounds. The Clippers had nine offensive rebounds to the Warriors' three, crucially allowing them to get up seven more shot attempts as both teams shot at a remarkably similar level from the field and beyond the arc.
Kerr went to a nine-man rotation which saw Jonathan Kuminga stunningly benched alongside fellow young forward Gui Santos, with Kevon Looney (16 minutes), Hield (16) and Quinten Post (10) all playing limited roles.
The Warriors will now face the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, with the winner to face the Houston Rockets in the first-round, while the loser will have to play the winner of the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks to earn a shot at the top-seed Oklahoma City Thunder.