For one reason or another, neither team inside the Intuit Dome for the Western Conference’s bottom play-in game expected to be there.

In the end, a Warriors team decimated by injuries will get another chance at the unlikeliest of playoff berths.

On the other side, a Clippers team that started the year 6-21 and surrounded by off-the-court controversy had its season come to an end Wednesday in a 126-121 loss to Golden State in a Western Conference play-in game.

Both teams understood they would have the longest of shots this postseason, but those slim odds — a chance to play meaningful basketball — are exactly what Steph Curry worked his way back from a persistent knee injury to experience again.

Curry made the most of it, with 35 points in 36 minutes. Kristaps Porzingis and Gui Santos added 20 apiece, and Golden State limited Kawhi Leonard to 21 points in 40 minutes.

The Clippers’ backcourt of Darius Garland and Benedict Mathurin torched the Warriors for a combined 44 points — a team-high 23 from Mathurin, 15 in the second half — but they allowed a double-digit fourth quarter lead to slip away into the grasp of the championship pedigree on the other side.

With four late 3s in quick succession from Al Horford, the Warriors were able to withstand 20 turnovers that turned into 35 Clippers points, seven more points left at the foul line and a series of illegal screens that wiped out more points, left coach Steve Kerr incensed and led to a technical foul on Draymond Green.

Green forced a pair of turnovers on Leonard to seal the game in the final minute. It took that long for the Warriors to grab their largest lead of the game after playing from behind for most of the game.

Los Angeles led by double digits with 9:35 to play and didn’t relinquish its lead until Horford connected on his fourth 3-pointer to put Golden State up 117-115 for its first lead since early in the second quarter.

What it means

The game came down to who had the better duo.

Curry and Porzingis proved to be more powerful than Leonard and Garland.

The win was the Warriors’ first against the Clippers in Los Angeles since Nov. 28, 2021, snapping a nine-game road losing streak that was Golden State’s longest against a single opponent in Kerr’s 12 seasons.

The Clippers can book their cabanas in Cabo. The Warriors are making travel plans for Phoenix, where they will face a second win-or-go-home play-in game against the No. 7 seed Suns.

Turning point

Garland helped the Clippers race out to an early 12-2 lead with eight of his 21 points coming in the first quarter. Los Angeles extended its lead as wide as 13, but the Warriors never went away. All the while, they were waiting for a patented Curry flurry.

It began midway through the third quarter.

Curry, held to eight points and 2-of-9 shooting in the first half, exploded for 16 in the third quarter. Curry turned a dribble handoff from Draymond Green into a four-point play, pulled up from 30 feet and sank another from distance after crossing over his defender.

Curry gave the Warriors hope.

Horford finished the job.

MVP: Steph Curry

Curry was unstoppable when it mattered most.

On top of his 16 in the third, he added another 12 in the fourth for 26 after halftime.

Stat of the game: 13-for-21

It was a tale of two halves for the Warriors beyond the 3-point line.

They were held to 30% — 6-for-20 — in the first half. As Curry, Horford and Porzingis took over in the second half, Golden State made 13 of 21 attempts from beyond the perimeter.

Up next

The Clippers’ season is over, putting an end to the most dramatic turnaround in NBA history. The Warriors, meanwhile, are on to Phoenix. They will play the Suns on Friday night for the chance to head to Oklahoma City as the No. 8 seed for a first-round matchup with the defending champion Thunder.

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