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Stephen Curry scores 35 as Warriors rally past Clippers 126-121 to stay alive in play in, 76ers beat Magic 109-97 to clinch playoffs and face Celtics
NBA: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry against Los Angeles Clippers (AP)
Golden State star Stephen Curry hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 50 seconds remaining as the Warriors rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 and stay alive in the NBA play-in on Wednesday.
Curry, a four-time NBA champion who missed 27 games from February to early April with a nagging knee injury, shook off a slow first half to finish with 35 points.
He made seven of his 12 three-point attempts to help the Warriorswho trailed for most of the game, come back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
His final three-pointer put Golden State ahead 120-117, and they held on to eliminate Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers from the post-season.
The Warriors, who finished the regular season 10th in the Western Conference, must win one more game to reach the playoffs proper when they face the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
The winner of that game will claim the Western Conference eighth seed and a first-round series against the top-seeded reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Curry said the key in Phoenix will once again be “resiliency.”
“These win or go home scenarios, we think we know the team but you’ve got to be able to withstand the runs and stay in it emotionally.
“It was back and forth the whole game, and then we got over the hump the last three minutes.”
Gui Santos and Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points each for the Warriors, and Al Horford made four three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Bennedict Mathurin led the Clippers with 23 points. Leonard and Darius Garland added 21 points apiece, but Leonard was limited to just 2 points in the final period.
Philadelphia 76ers Reach Playoffs
The Philadelphia 76ers, powered by 31 points from Tyrese Maxey, held off the Orlando Magic 109-97 to punch their playoff ticket, setting up a first-round meeting with the Boston Celtics.
Maxey scored 31 points and five Philadelphia players finished in double figures as the Sixers overcame the absence of star big man Joel Embiid — who made a surprise appearance on the bench as he recovers from an appendectomy.
“Man, we played hard as hell,” Maxey said. “Everybody who stepped on the floor contributed tonight.
“I’m just so happy because, like, a lot of these guys ain’t been to the playoffs before. I told them at the beginning of the year, I don’t care what it takes, we’re going to the playoffs.”
Rookie VJ Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Andre Drummond came off the bench to contribute 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots.
The 76ers’ play-in victory secured the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round series against the second-seeded Celtics starting on Sunday.
The Magic, led by 34 points from Desmond Bane, will have one last chance to claim the East eighth seed on Friday when they host the Charlotte Hornets, who knocked out the Miami Heat in a 127-126 overtime thriller on Tuesday.
The winner of Friday’s game will earn a first-round series against the East top seeds Detroit.
Philadelphia led for most of the night, but in a tight, sometimes contentious contest, the Magic cut an 11-point deficit midway through the third quarter to just 1 early in the fourth.
Orlando trailed by only 4 with four minutes remaining, but the Sixers pulled away with a late surge capped by Drummond’s three-pointer with 41 seconds left.
(With inputs from Agencies)
United States of America (USA)
April 16, 2026, 3:06 PM IST
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