Stephen Curry had only just returned from a 27-game absence due to a knee injury. He had eight points in a first-half on Wednesday night where social media was quick to point to the lack of burst stemming from that injury. The Golden State Warriors found themselves down by 13 early in the fourth-quarter in an elimination game on the road.
None of that ultimately mattered.
Curry and the Warriors defied the odds, pulling a miracle out in Los Angeles to save their season -- at least for the moment -- with a remarkable 126-121 victory over the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
Stephen Curry delivers another miracle to avoid elimination
A previously quiet Curry exploded for 16 third-quarter points, but Golden State still trailed for almost all the game in what was a night of runs where the Clippers continued to land punches, yet never knocked out the 2x MVP and his team.
Golden State trailed 98-85 early in the fourth with Curry on the bench. He needed one of his teammates to provide some offensive punch, and up stepped Al Horford who'd had a rather terrible game to that point.
The veteran center turned things on a dime, drilling four 3-pointers in the final period, the last of which gave the Warriors the lead with just over two minutes remaining. The Clippers responded through a pair of Brook Lopez free-throws, but Curry came up clutch with the go-ahead three in the final minute.
STEPHEN CURRY FOR THREEEEEEE
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 16, 2026
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Draymond Green shook off a slight knee issue to deliver two vintage defensive plays, deflecting an out-of-bounds pass that led to a Brandin Podziemski and-one layup to give Golden State control, before picking Kawhi Leonard on the next possession to effectively seal the result.
It was Curry's game though. The superstar guard had 35 points and four assists on 12-of-23 shooting from the floor and 7-of-12 from 3-point range. 27 of those points came in the second-half as the Warriors pulled off the stunning comeback.
Kristaps Porzingis also delivered for his new team on the big stage, dropping 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting in just under 28 minutes.
Gui Santos punctuated his improvement with a big postseason performance, recording 20 points, six rebounds and five assists as he continually targeted Clippers star Darius Garland who fouled out in the final minute.
The Warriors advance to face the Suns in Phoenix on Friday, with the winner earning the right to take on the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the first-round of the playoffs.
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