CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 08: Evan Mobley #4 celebrates with James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during player introductions before the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Arena on April 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
INDEPENDENCE — Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has been asked how James Harden has helped this team since his arrival in early February. He’s spoken at length about how good a passer he is and how skilled he is as a scorer. But there’s one thing that sticks out above all of that — his knowledge of the game and his willingness to pass that on to others on the team. Both are byproducts of his obsession with the game.
“There are certain players in this league that they love it more,” Atkinson said of Harden. “They’re obsessed. There’s love and obsession.”
Harden falls into that second category.
“There’s very few of them to that degree,” Atkinson said. “How obsessed they are with the game, the nuances of the game, it’s different.”
Those nuances show through most when Harden is running the pick-and-roll. He’s an expert at that action and has developed seemingly instant chemistry with nearly every big he’s come in contact with throughout his 17-year career with six different franchises. That one exception was Evan Mobley — at least in their first few weeks together.
Mobley’s game didn’t fit with Harden’s right off the bat. Mobley isn’t known for being a hard screen setter and roller. Instead, he’s typically done most of his damage attacking in space off the dribble, cutting, and attacking after slipping screens.
Earlier this season, Dallas Mavericks head coach and legendary point guard Jason Kidd said that it took him half a season before he felt comfortable with a new big. The Cavs didn’t have that much time to make things work with Harden since they traded for him four months into the season. They had to find a different way to develop their on-court chemistry without game reps. That meant they had to do most of their work in the film room.
“Us going through film, me learning him, him learning me, and where he likes to pass the ball. That was a big thing at the start,” Mobley said. “Once I kind of figured that out, and how he likes to come off [screens], and what his cues are. Sometimes you can’t really say anything. You just kind of have to look. Once I learned that, it got very easy.”
Mobley describes Harden as being “light-hearted” in these film sessions.“It’s just info. He just tells me what he sees. I tell him what I see, and the coaches chime in. It’s just a back-and-forth conversation.”
Harden’s impact breaking down film is one of the things that the Cavs pointed out immediately after the trade.
“James is a teacher,” Atkinson said. “He always has a slant and a new idea on how we can do things better. He’s not afraid. … He’s very bold — extroverted. Talking with guys, it’s a huge help.”
Harden and Mobley’s two-man game has continued to grow throughout the season. Harden has done a good job of delivering passes to Mobley above the waste where he can catch the ball in stride. In turn, Mobley has been more decisive in rolling to the basket and exploiting mismatches.
That development didn’t happen overnight. It was through trial and error and having an open line of communication, which Harden believes is the biggest reason why they were able to get onto the same page.
“Figure out what works, whether it’s the pick-and-roll, whether it’s just me throwing him the ball in the post,” Harden said. “Whether I have the mismatch or I feel like he has the mismatch. It’s a split-second decision. If it doesn’t go right, we talk about it and then move on.”
If the Cavs are going to go far in the playoffs, it will be because their best players are on the same page and the team is at its best when they share the floor. To do that, Mobley and Harden have to be in sync, and they’ve made an effort to do so through their communication.
“I’m just trying to learn from him,” Mobley said. “Learn the most I can and figure out how he’s become who he is. He does a great job of explaining and spreading his knowledge to us. I’m just soaking it all in.”
Draymond Green (23) and Stephen Curry (30) defend against Kawhi Leonard (2) in the first half as the Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers in an NBA play-in tournament game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
The difficulty of guarding an action involving Steph Curry and Draymond Green is the sheer unpredictability of how it will manifest. It’s difficult enough to solve the typical Curry-Green pick-and-roll — playing drop will end up in Curry pulling up around the screen for a rhythm three. Playing a more aggressive form of coverage such as a hedge or outright blitz unleashes Green in the short roll with a 4-on-3 numbers advantage, a realm that Green has historically dominated with near-equal efficiency as a Curry pull-up three.
Adding to that difficulty is when Green starts possessions out handling the ball with Curry parking himself in the middle of the paint. Whenever Steve Kerr calls for “Small,” it often entails an inverted pick-and-roll in which Curry steps up to set the screen for Green. The reticence of Curry’s defender to detach himself from the greatest shooter of all time often allows Green to dribble downhill through a wide-open lane.
Teams have come to expect “Small” action, owing to the fact that the Warriors are so fond of having Curry be the ball screener for Green and bigger ball-handling wings (previously, that role was played by the likes of Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, and Jonathan Kuminga). Naturally, a scouted action needs to evolve in order to maintain its effectiveness. As such, back on December 14 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Kerr called for “Small” action and the Blazers expected an inverted pick-and-roll possession.
However, the Warriors were expecting the Blazers to expect the ball-screen. In that regard, the Warriors threw a curve ball that caught the Blazers with their tail between their legs:
Warriors┃ "Small"
Kerr calls for "Small" for an inverted PnR between Draymond and Steph.
The rationale behind this action is rather simple: with Green’s defenders often sagging way off of him (with the additional purpose of not letting themselves getting screened by Curry above the free-throw line, which would give Green a runway toward the rim), Green’s defenders will find themselves playing drop coverage unintentionally whenever Curry comes off of Green and pulls up from deep. The irony of the situation is then realized: teams are forced to play a pick-and-roll coverage that has been proven to be extremely ineffective against basketball history’s greatest shooter.
This callback all leads into a sequence against the Los Angeles Clippers in the Golden State Warriors’ momentous Play-In victory, one that prolonged their tumultuous season. With the seven-minute mark approaching in the third quarter and the Warriors aiming to keep things manageable in the midst of a precarious deficit, “Small” is called for what is apparently going to be a Curry screen for Green, who brings the ball up.
To Brook Lopez’s credit, he refuses to sag back and let Green and Curry dictate matters at the top of the arc. The risk behind this decision, however, is Curry catching Lopez with a screen and Green diving past for what could be an easy layup. But Curry elects to come off of Green instead of setting the screen. Perhaps in anticipation of a screen, Lopez drops back to avoid the pick — but falls victim to an unintentional bout of drop coverage.
To add insult to injury, Derrick Jones Jr. attempts to recover over the screen, and in the process fouls Curry on the four-point play:
The deceptive nature of the action underscores its overall inevitability, one that has had Curry and Green in the center of it all. The Clippers may have had the Warriors’ number over the past couple of years, but they fell victim once again to the one-two punch that has taken opposing fanbases’ hearts several times, over and over, enough to convince a die-hard fan to accept the fact that Curry and Green will forever haunt them in their dreams, even after their stories careers have seen their eventual end.
In an elimination game with everything on the line, Curry and Green were expected to handle things from their respective specialties: Curry as the Warriors’ offensive engine, Green as their defensive anchor. The former, with help from Green but whose machinery was driven by the all-time talents of Curry, furthered a legacy that already was and has been unimpeachable:
The latter saw Green get up for a vintage performance that belied his aging profile.
While Green’s defensive reputation was built mostly on a role that saw him as an off-ball roamer and mistake-eraser, Green was tasked to defend the Clippers’ resident terminator. Kawhi Leonard finished the game with 21 points on 17 shots — good for a true shooting percentage of 56 percent. In a do-or-die game, 17 shots clearly wasn’t good enough for a superstar the caliber of Leonard’s, whose resurgence this season will see him almost certainly be included in an All-NBA Team, let alone the first team.
But Leonard managing to put up only 17 shots had plenty to do with Green and his tenacity as Leonard’s tormentor. Of those 17 shots, six were taken in the second half; two of those six were taken in the crucial fourth quarter.
Make no mistake, Green had schematic help — i.e., Kerr and de facto defensive coordinator Jerry Stackhouse opting to surprise Leonard with doubles. The Warriors were clearly more concerned with Leonard the scorer as opposed to Leonard the passer; the latter was even more palatable if Leonard was forced to pass in the face of daunting pressure:
But on an individual basis, Green displayed his mettle and pedigree. He rose to the occasion on two separate occasions, both of them equally crucial behind the Warriors’ win.
Showing an incredible refusal to be dictated by the Clippers’ after-timeout (ATO) play (in the sense that the Clippers wanted to draw Green away from Leonard courtesy of a screen), Green tenaciously fights over the screen, pins Leonard against the sideline, and intercepts a pass that was meant for Leonard, leading to an and-1 layup by Brandin Podziemski:
A few possessions later, Green flashes an incredible knowledge of Leonard’s rhythm and handle by timing a swipe at the end of Leonard’s right-to-left crossover, forcing another turnover that all but seals the deal for the Warriors:
Despite the fleeting nature of this run, in the sense that one loss can send it all into the realm of futility, it was nevertheless a treat to see these two legends of the sport turn back the clock and produce another vintage performance. Let it be known, however, that they had the requisite help: Al Horford had four massive threes in the fourth quarter and finished with 14 points; Kristaps Porzingis chipped in with his 20 points; Podziemski himself had 17 points while hauling in seven rebounds as a 6’4” unathletic guard; and Gui Santos produced 20 crucial points, all while the Warriors outscored the Clippers by 16 points in his 32 minutes of floor time, a team high.
No matter what the outcome of the next tilt against the Phoenix Suns may be, the Warriors —powering through a season that saw season-ending injuries to Butler and Moses Moody, a 27-game absence from their franchise superstar, and a highly unnecessary saga involving Kuminga — have already overachieved. If their so-called “uncs” have more gas in their tanks, further overachieving would be the money that keeps on giving — until it chooses to stop giving.
But transfer portal rankings are hardly an exact science, and best fit is usually a better indicator for future success than anything.
While Yaxel Lendeborg, a first-team All-American in 2025-26, was rated the No. 1 player in the portal and delivered Michigan a national championship, UConn center Tarris Reed Jr., one of the best players of the NCAA Tournament in 2026, was rated outside the top 75 as a portal prospect in 2024 by 247Sports' Composite.
The deadline to enter the transfer portal is April 21, and impactful players are still entering the market each day.
Here's a look at our best fits so far of players that have already committed in the 2026 transfer portal:
10 transfers that are perfect fits in college basketball
Stefan Vaaks, Illinois
Former Providence guard Stefan Vaaks will fit right in with Illinois, which is developing a reputation for European standouts.
The Estonian will likely join a starting lineup that consists of Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic and Tomislav Ivisic, who all averaged double figures last season. A 6-7 sharpshooter, Vaaks averaged 15.8 points with 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last season for the Friars as a true freshman.
Illinois had a void at guard this offseason after Keaton Wagler declared for the NBA Draft, and in steps Vaaks.
Dedan Thomas, Houston
Houston is almost assuredly losing star guard Kingston Flemings, a projected top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. It'll aim to replace him with LSU transfer Dedan Thomas, one of the best playmaking guards available.
USA TODAY's No. 16 overall transfer, Thomas averaged 15.3 points with 6.5 assists per game last season for the Tigers, and is poised to take over as Houston's lead ball handler with Flemings and multi-year starter Milos Uzan out of the picture.
Houston has been fueled by its guard play under coach Kelvin Sampson, going from Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead to LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp to Flemings, Uzan and Sharp in consecutive seasons. Thomas will be asked to do a lot next season as Houston loses three starting guards.
David Punch, Texas
David Punch emerged as one of the best defenders in the country last season at TCU, and averaged 14.1 points with 6.8 rebounds and two assists in a do-it-all role for the Horned Frogs. It was a surprise when he entered the portal, but less of a surprise when he chose the hometown Longhorns.
Punch is from Harker Heights, Texas, less than an hour drive from Austin, where Texas' campus is located. That, paired with Texas' need for a frontcourt mate next to returning center Matas Vokietaitis made for a perfect fit for second-year coach Sean Miller.
Punch averaged 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game last season, and gives Texas a feisty defender that can guard multiple positions.
Najai Hines, UConn
UConn needed a center to replace Tarris Reed this offseason, and it found a fit that made perfect sense. Not only did Najai Hines show flashes in the Big East last season as a true freshman, but he also did so at coach Dan Hurley's alma mater, Seton Hall.
Hines stats don't jump off the page — 6.5 points with 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game — but he came on late in the year for the Pirates and was a blue-chip high school recruit, rated as a top-10 center in the 2025 class, per 247Sports' Composite.
Hines is huge, listed at 6-10, 265 pounds. Hurley and the Huskies will look to develop him similarly to how they did with Reed after he transferred from Michigan.
J.P. Estrella, Michigan
Similar to fellow national championship opponent UConn, Michigan also has some holes to fill in its frontcourt with Yaxel Lendeborg off to the NBA Draft and center Aday Mara likely following suit.
The Wolverines will look to replace some of that production with former Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella, who averaged 10 points with 5.4 rebounds per game last season. The 6-11 redshirt sophomore scored seven points with seven rebounds against the Wolverines in the Elite Eight.
Coach Dusty May has been masterful at developing his frontcourt, and Estrella will be the latest to learn from the national championship-winning coach.
Collin Chandler, BYU
It didn't take long for former Kentucky guard Collin Chandler to choose his next destination, as he committed to BYU, his hometown school, shortly after entering the transfer portal. He was formerly committed to BYU as a high school prospect, and took two years off after high school to fulfill a church mission in Africa.
Chandler averaged 9.7 points with 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season, also shooting 41% from 3-point range. He's also a perfect fit at BYU offensively, as the Cougars have finished No. 9 and No. 12 in adjusted offensive efficiency each of Kevin Young's seasons as head coach.
BYU also has a void at wing, with AJ Dybantsa likely off to the NBA Draft and Richie Saunders out of eligibility. He'll be one of BYU's top options next to returning guard Rob Wright III.
Neoklis Avdalas, North Carolina
New North Carolina coach Michael Malone's first portal recruit was one of the most intriguing available players in former Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas.
The 6-9 true freshman averaged 12.1 points with 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game last season for the Hokies, and showed flashes of being a potential NBA lottery pick with his unique playmaking and shooting ability at his size. Avdalas was on the NBA Draft radar after only his second career game, as he scored 33 points with five rebounds and six assists in an overtime win over Providence in November.
Avdalas is expected to take a huge step forward as a sophomore, especially under Malone's tutelage.
PJ Haggerty, Texas A&M
Former Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty ranked fourth nationally in 2025-26 averaging 23.4 points per game. Now at his fifth school in five seasons, Haggerty joins an offense tabbed as "Bucky Ball" under second-year coach Bucky McMillan, who runs a fast-paced offense predicated on taking shots early and often.
Sounds like a strong fit for one of the best pure scorers in college basketball.
Haggerty is also from Crosby, Texas, a Houston suburb that's less than a two-hour drive from College Station, Texas.
Derek Dixon, Arizona
Derek Dixon entered the portal after North Carolina hired Malone as its next coach, despite starting 16 games as a true freshman. His landing spot? Arizona, which made the Final Four in 2025-26 and has a glaring need at guard.
Arizona loses Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley, its starting point guard, to graduation, and also loses leading scorer Brayden Burries, a surefire first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Dixon averaged 6.5 points with 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season with the Tar Heels, and now finds himself as coach Tommy LLoyd's likely starting point guard.
Jaquan Johnson, Iowa State
Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger has done work in the transfer portal since taking over the program, but his point guard in four of his five seasons has never changed.
Bradley transfer Jaquan Johnson will be tasked with replacing four-year starter Tamin Lipsey, one of the most accomplished players in school history. He has the means to do so, averaging 16.9 points with 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season despite being undersized at 5-11.
With Otzelberger's portal track record, Johnson should fit quite nicely with Iowa State, who has to replace Lipsey, leading scorer Milan Momcilovic and All-American Joshua Jefferson.
Pressure usually feels obvious this time of year. You know who it’s on, you know what’s at stake, and you know exactly who’s going to hear about it if things go sideways.
This Celtics team is a little different. The expectations are obviously real and earned, but they’re not overwhelming. The core has already proven it can win, the supporting cast has spent the year exceeding assumptions, and the entire season has carried a “found money” feel to it. Which makes the pressure question harder to pin down than usual.
We asked the CelticsBlog staff where it actually sits heading into the postseason, and whether it’s even there at all.
Apr 12, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) and Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) talk during the first half against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Which player is under the most pressure for the Celtics this postseason?
Jeff Clark: Frankly, I don’t see any Celtics players under pressure. Sure, there’s the pressure of the playoffs. There’s the pressure of not wanting to waste a year of Tatum and Brown’s primes. But this whole season has been found money. They have the veteran crew that’s been through the battles and won the whole thing. Then they have the young crew that is too young to know that they aren’t supposed to be this good. And they have a maniac coach that has them all locked in and on the same page. That’s a great combo.
Bill Sy: In a gap year that saw the front office get under the luxury tax, I don’t think there’s much pressure on anybody. Joe Mazzulla is the frontrunner for Coach of the Year (despite renouncing the honor), Tatum is less than a year from his Achilles tear, Brown has proven himself as an MVP candidate, and every role player has played above expectations. If there’s anybody that has anything to prove, it might be Nikola Vucevic.
You have to imagine that when Brad Stevens traded for him, the deal came with the prospect that he could re-sign with Boston in the summer. He showed signs of fitting in before and after he fractured his finger, but a playoff run will ultimately be the proving ground.
Rich Jensen: I don’t think anyone’s under a great deal of pressure. The C’s have so far exceeded expectations that they’ve been playing with house money since December or so. I think Tatum might be putting himself under pressure to rise to the level of performance that he thinks the rest of the team deserves, but I certainly wouldn’t put any external pressure on him. Maybe the rest of the media landscape and segments of the fanbase have ratcheted their expectations of Tatum and the team to unrealistic levels, but I’m not going to be on that bandwagon.
Look. Being a Celtics fan is like winning the lottery at this point. I’m not going to go around thinking that I’m entitled to more than what we ultimately get from the team.
Ian Inangelo: The person under the most pressure right now is probably Jaylen Brown. Just due to the fact he has been the lead option for most of the season and has put up MVP level performances so far. He is going to be seen as the guy who is going to lead the Celtics to another championship.
Mark Aboyoun: Nikola Vučević. Similar to why he may be a reason Boston won’t win the championship, since he’s returned from his thumb injury, he hasn’t looked great. When he was traded to Boston, he had to learn the team’s defensive scheme and, at times, struggled. Then he got injured early in his Celtics career, and with that, Garza was able to get back into the mix — and he’s done well, as he has all season. In the playoffs, the rotation gets shorter, and Mazzulla will have to figure out what’s best for the team.
Nikola Vucević did it all against his former team 😤
Nirav Barman: JB and Derrick may be tied for being under the most pressure, but for different reasons. While the MVP is a regular season award, players are still judged on their ability to retain that value and production come playoff time. Jaylen has proved himself in the playoffs plenty of times before, but this year he will be under even more scrutiny. As for Derrick, he’s done just about everything this year, except for score the ball efficiently. If White’s shot isn’t falling, the Celtics will be in an incredibly tough spot, and a whole year of poor shooting will be a bad look for Derrick.
Mike Dynon: No one is truly under pressure because the Celtics were never expected to be where they are. Boston is playing this postseason with the proverbial house money. If forced to pick someone, let’s go with Sam Hauser. After alternating hot and cold all season, he finished with a sizzling April (52.6%) – yet he still ended the season at only 39.3%, the first time he’s been below 40%. Hauser also dropped in the league three-point percentage standings; he ranked 40th this season after placing 20th last year and 11th in 2024.
Hauser’s production is a key indicator for Boston. He appeared in 54 wins this season, making 42.4% of his shots from distance. Conversely, he converted only 30.9% in 24 appearances where the Celtics lost. Boston’s path will be much easier if Sam gets into Haus-Fire mode for the next two months.
Ryan Paice: Derrick White. Overall, I don’t think his position in Boston is under threat regardless of how he ultimately plays. But the spotlight is going to turn to him early and often. Playoff defenses tighten the screws and focus in on eliminating strengths, while taking chances on testing perceived weaknesses.
One of those perceived weaknesses may be White’s shot, as he has struggled to hit at a solid clip all season, so I expect the defense may sell out on the Jays and let White take a few shots. If he can recover his shot from the past couple seasons, the Celtics should walk into the Finals. If he can’t, it could be tough to watch as opponents game plan against him.
I, for one, can’t stand the thought of the inevitable calls for his head from some of the sillier talking heads in the media landscape if White can’t hit his shots on a consistent basis.
Gio Rivera: Collectively, the frontcourt is under the most pressure. Sure, there will be plenty of talk about Tatum’s return and Brown’s ability to carry his MVP-caliber play into the postseason, but that’s nothing new. They’ve dealt with those expectations for years, and as champions who led the 2024 title run, the only pressure that could reach them is the kind they place on themselves.
Neemias Queta and Nikola Vučević will need to hold the fort. Last postseason, Queta appeared in just four games, averaging 3.3 minutes. That’s no longer his reality. He’s no longer stuck in the shadows of Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. He’s now regarded as a legitimate starting center, and he earned that.
Even when veteran champion Chris Boucher was in the mix, Queta earned his role and did everything to keep it. When Vučević arrived, he still held firm, reinforcing that the job was rightfully his. His averaged career highs in points (10.2), rebounds (8.4), and blocks (1.3), along with the best field-goal percentage among Eastern Conference centers (65.3) and the third-best net rating (13.2) among centers, trailing only Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. That doesn’t just earn him locker room endorsement for the Most Improved Player award — it raises the bar for what’s expected this postseason.
Neemias Queta has Jaylen Brown's vote for Most Improved Player 🙌
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 6, 2026
Vučević, too, is in a similar spot. After missing 14 games with a fractured right finger, he struggled to regain form, averaging 7.4 points and five rebounds while shooting 31 percent from three over the final four games of the regular season. As the trade deadline return for Simons — and a player the organization has eyed for years — Boston will need him to bounce back quickly, ideally as early as the first round.
Grant Burfeind: It has to be the best player on the team this season, Jaylen Brown. He’s done the incredibly hard job over the last few years, which is get better every single season, and at a certain point, that almost raises the stakes instead of lowering them. He’s proved he belongs, now it’s about proving that this version of you is the new baseline.
Despite this amazing season, it still feels like he’s one shaky playoff run away from all the old conversations creeping back in. The forced drives, the loose handle, the possessions that stall out into isolation — we’ve seen it before, even if it feels like he’s moved past it. If he plays at the level he’s reached this season, it raises the ceiling of the entire team and could be the difference in bringing home Banner 19. If he slips back into some of those habits, he’s going to wear a lot of that outcome. That’s pressure in its simplest form.
Inglewood, CA - April 15: Guard Stephen Curry, left, hugs forward Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors after defeating the LA Clippers 126-121 to win a NBA play-in tournament basketball game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Well, they did it. The Golden State Warriors saved their best for last, ending a three-month run of uninteresting play, and emerging from their first play-in tournament game with one of their most entertaining games of the season.
More importantly, they emerged with a win. The Warriors ended the season leaking oil, and faced off in the first round of the play-in tournament against an LA Clippers team that had some tangible momentum. On top of that, the game was in Los Angeles.
No matter. The Warriors used multiple double-digit comebacks — including one in the fourth quarter — to beat the Clippers 126-121, and advance to the second round of the play-in tournament, where a spot in the NBA Playoffs will be on the line.
That’s a worry for another day, though. Friday, specifically. For today, we judge the players who took the court and pulled off the epic victory. And to do that, we assign grades. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. This year, league-average TS was 58.1%.
We saw a lot of the good and the bad with Santos in this game. There was a reason he got the start, and there was a reason he was the lone player to get subbed out of the game less than three minutes in, with the Warriors already down double digits. There was a reason he came back in not long after that. He had the most turnovers on the team, but also the best plus/minus. He had some of the biggest, most clutch shots, and some of the most back-breaking turnovers.
And yet, as is almost always the case with Santos, the good far outweighed the bad, and it’s hard — virtually impossible — to envision the Warriors winning the game without his contributions.
If you’re frustrated by the difficult moments, just remember that Santos is a 23-year old who entered this year having played in just 79 NBA games … and averaging just 12.1 minutes in those games. This is his first year with a significant role in the NBA. There will be bumps, and times where the game moves a little too fast for him.
But the good was mesmerizing. His footwork broke down Clippers defenders time and time again. His cuts were perfectly timed. And he created chaos with his defense and rebounding. It’s easy to see why Steve Kerr loves him.
He probably gets a B+ if this is a regular season game. But it wasn’t.
Grade: A- Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
On Tuesday, I wrote an article listing a few ways that the Warriors could pull off the upset. Here’s a snippet from that article:
The Klaw has scored 40 or more points on five occasions this season, and the Clippers have amassed five blowout victories in those games. He’s been held to 20 points or fewer just seven times, and LA has gone a lowly 1-6 in those contests, including an October loss to the Warriors.
If there’s one thing the Warriors should be focused on, it’s limiting Leonard. And if there’s one person who is up for that job, it’s Draymond Green.
Kawhi Leonard entered the fourth quarter with 19 points. And he was stuck on that number until the final seconds, when he finally made a layup, but only because the Warriors were playing no-threes defense. Those were his only points of the quarter.
He was utterly and entirely shut down by Green in the quarter (and really all game … almost all of Leonard’s damage came against other defenders). It was, quite simply, one of the best individual defensive performances in the NBA this season. And as he so often does, Green turned it on when it mattered most. Not only was his fourth quarter truly special, but Dray forced not one, but two turnovers by Leonard in the final minute, when the game was still very much up for grabs. For as special as Steph Curry’s offense was, Green’s defense was equally memorable.
There are a lot of questions that the Warriors have to ask about Porziņģis when the offseason starts, which it notably did not due on Wednesday. The two biggest ones are: how healthy can he be going forward, and how much money will he command in free agency?
But, critically, there are also a few questions that the Warriors don’t have to ask about Porziņģis. Namely: how good is he, and how well does he fit on the team?
Porziņģis looked like his All-Star self in this game. He had numerous highlight defensive plays, single-handedly ending multiple Clippers possessions that looked like easy buckets. He was a walking bucket, scoring from all over the court, largely within the system but also taking matters into his own hands when it was needed. And he had some passes that made your eyes pop wide open.
It was a complete — and completely excellent — performance. And it left no doubt as to whether or not the Warriors will make re-signing Porziņģis a priority this coming offseason.
Don’t let the ridiculous narratives surrounding the Warriors and their (lack of) two timelines keep you from appreciating what’s in front of your face. Podziemski and Santos were a reminder that the Warriors young players can be the perfect complements to the Hall of Fame-bound core.
Podz did a little bit of everything in this game. His defense and the way he free safetied himself towards every loose ball were game changers. He drew multiple charges late (and took his fair share of damage in the process), and was tied with Leonard for the second-most rebounds of any player in the game.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Podziemski’s offense was also more efficient than it looks on paper, as a good chunk of his shots were late in the clock when he had to force something up.
But the biggest thing that Podz did was keep the energy level dialed up. He started the game with endless energy. When the Warriors fell behind by double digits in the first quarter, he maintained that endless energy. When they fell behind by double digits in the third quarter, he maintained that endless energy. When they fell behind by double digits in the fourth quarter, he maintained that endless energy.
And it all played out with one of the biggest shots of the night, when he took a Green steal inside the final minute, and turned it into a beat-everyone-down-the-court transition and-one layup.
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
I have no words. I really just have no words. Curry was the best player on the court, and if you want to know why they won — and why they’ll have a good chance on Friday — look no further than that point right there.
Curry took his time to get going. He had just three points in the first quarter, and an inefficient eight points in the first half. But the world was his (and Draymond’s) in the second half, and we were all just living in it. The Clippers very much included.
Steph had 16 third-quarter points, and he was just getting started. It was big shot after big shot after big shot, each bucket seeming to give the Warriors a lifeline when they were on the verge of losing. His biggest shot? A 29-foot step-back three that broke a tie with just 50 seconds remaining. In total, the Warriors — who won by five points — outscored the Clippers by 15 in the fourth quarter minutes that Curry played.
Curry didn’t just lead the Warriors to victory on Wednesday. He reminded you that, even in what has been a miserable season, there are 30 reasons to be happy that the season lives to see another game.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
Payton was more impactful than his numbers would suggest. He helped Golden State’s defense swarm the perimeter, which forced LA into countless chaotic offensive possessions. And he sure made the most out the points that he did score.
GPII is another one of those players who feels more important the bigger the game is. He can change a game with his defense, and he’s never going to make the mistakes the give the game away.
Not Melton’s best game, but with Curry playing as well as he did, the Warriors didn’t really need it to be Melton’s best game. The important thing is that he kept the team afloat, and kept the offense moving when Curry was on the bench. The Dubs don’t fall apart when Curry is resting, and Melton is the biggest reason why.
Grade: C+ Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
I don’t know if Horford will be back next year or not. He has a player option for $6 million which the Warriors would likely be thrilled if he opted into, but perhaps retirement — or free agency — will come calling.
Either way, this is a game that will cement his legacy with the team, because it really was an unforgettable performance. Just past the midway point in the fourth quarter, with the Clippers slipping away, Horford made threes on three consecutive possessions to pull the Warriors back to within two points. He added another three a few possessions later, giving Golden State their first lead of the quarter with 2:12 remaining. And then he buckled in and played outstanding defense for the final minutes.
We now know who the No. 7 seeds will be in both the Eastern and Western Conferences: the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively.
Now, the final two games of the Play-In, which will be Friday, April 17, will determine the No. 8 seeds. The Orlando Magic will host the Charlotte Hornets in the East, and the Phoenix Suns will host the Golden State Warriors out West.
But first, we have the chance to make sense of the first round.
Here are the winners and losers of the NBA Play-In Tournament, thus far:
WINNERS
Stephen Curry makes his case for the future
Even if the Warriors happen to upset the Suns Friday, they won’t go far in the playoffs. For one, their opponent would be the defending-champion Thunder. For another, this roster has too many injuries and too many holes.
But Curry’s heroics in Golden State’s thrilling victory over the Clippers, his 35 points and 7 made 3-pointers, sent a message to the team’s front office. More specifically, it sent a message to general manager Mike Dunleavy, that he needs to be aggressive and reshape this roster for one last run. Curry, though, will need some help. The team needs more shooting. It won’t happen this year, but Curry showed that he’s still capable of greatness.
The Oklahoma City Thunder
They did not play but ended up winning, anyway. The Thunder own the unprotected 2026 first-round pick that belonged to the Clippers, the last remaining piece of the trade that sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Oklahoma City.
Anyway, with Golden State’s victory over the Clippers, that pick is now a lottery selection, one with a 7.1% chance of becoming a Top 4 pick. The rich get richer.
Draymond Green
His defense on Kawhi Leonard was a masterclass in persistence and tenacity. Add those two big steals late in the game to an already iconic highlight reel.
The upstart Charlotte Hornets
Since the All-Star break, only the Spurs have a better offensive rating (121.8) and net rating (11.1) than the Hornets. San Antonio is a legitimate contender for a title. The Hornets still have to beat the Magic Friday to become the No. 8 seed — and to have the privilege of facing the No. 1 Detroit Pistons in the first round.
Either way, this is a massive moment for Charlotte, which earned its first postseason victory in nearly 10 years. One of the opposing players in the last Hornets victory April 27, 2016 was Amar’e Stoudemire … who was with the Heat. The Hornets play fast and shoot the ball extremely well. They’ve proven resilient. They’re also young and a fun watch and may be maturing in real time.
The morning after the Trail Blazers played their season-opening game, Tiago Splitter awoke to his phone buzzing with texts and calls that his boss, Portland head coach Chauncey Billups, had been arrested for his alleged role in an illegal gambling ring.
All Splitter has done as the interim is turn the Blazers into a balanced, fluid offense and a pesky team. Turnovers are still an issue, but the best sign that Portland could be on the come up is that the players — both young and veteran — have developed over the course of the season.
LOSERS
Jamahl Mosley and Paolo Banchero
The Magic feel like a team headed for a disruptive offseason. They’ve underwhelmed this season and Paolo Banchero has regressed somewhat; he often runs through his offensive actions as if overthinking or lacking confidence. His 7-of-22 night against the 76ers, including 0-of-5 from 3-point range, pointed to the inefficiency with which he has played this season.
Had the Magic won their season finale against the Celtics, who rested their top seven rotation players, they would’ve hosted the 76ers in the Play-In. Instead, Orlando lost and now faces a tough Hornets team. It all spells trouble for coach Jamahl Mosley, whose job may be tenuous, given the team’s lack of cohesion.
The Los Angeles Clippers
Now that their season is officially over, it stands reason to believe that the NBA-backed investigation into alleged salary cap circumvention during Kawhi Leonard’s acquisition will wrap up without hindrance. Los Angeles could find itself in a precarious situation, depending on the severity of any potential discipline, and it could get even worse.
The pick Indiana sent to Los Angeles as part of the Ivica Zubac-Bennedict Mathurin trade only conveys to the Clippers if it falls between Nos. 5-9; the Pacers have a 52.1% chance to get a Top 4 selection.
This team prides itself on competing every season and believing they can make a run deep into the postseason. But after four consecutive Play-In appearances, and after getting bounced Tuesday by the Hornets, it’s time for some introspection in Miami.
This roster isn’t balanced enough to threaten in the East. Miami may have solid stretches, but it simply lacks consistency. What’s worse is that coach Erik Spoelstra lacked trust in his rotations, tweaking them until the very end. Granted, the Heat faced injuries, but Spoelstra struggled to find combinations that worked with both Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware on the floor, just like he miscalculated the defensive shortcomings of a Tyler Herro-Norman Powell backcourt. Miami is stuck in purgatory, and this stale roster needs an overhaul.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — At the start of the fourth quarter, in 2:33 without Stephen Curry or Kawhi Leonard on the court, the Clippers were +4, stretching their lead over the Warriors to as much as 13.
It didn't feel like enough — Stephen Curry was starting to heat up.
Curry scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half — hitting 5-of-7 from deep — despite clearly being bothered by his troublesome right knee. It sparked a fourth-quarter double-digit comeback win by the Warriors, 126-121 in a dramatic play-in game.
"Everybody out there who thought Steph should have taken the rest of the year off, this is what he does," coach Steve Kerr said, pounding the table. "This is who he is."
With this win, the Warriors advance and will travel to Phoenix on Friday for a win-and-you 're-in final play-in game. The Clippers' season has come to an early and unceremonious end, despite an impressive second half of the season.
It wasn't just Curry who lifted the Warriors. Al Horford turned back the clock in the fourth quarter and went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc in the frame. Draymond Green had a strong defensive night against Kawhi Leonard, including a clutch steal near half court to help seal the win. The Warriors got 20-point games from Gui Santons (on 9-of-13 shooting) and Kristaps Porzingis (8-of-12). "I just told [the team], with all the wins we've ever had here, a lot of them there was a lot more at stake, this is right up there," Kerr said. "Just because, where we are and our age and the decline of our performance this year, and the injuries, it was just a display of just a beautiful display of competitive will.
A big part of what the Warriors did was keep Leonard in check. He finished with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but was just 2-of-6 with Green as the primary defender. More than just Green, the Warriors brought early doubles when Leonard started to face up and make his move. This stat sums up the Clippers' night: In the first half, LA was +16 in Leonard's 20 minutes, but -8 in the four minutes he sat. For the Game, Leonard was +7.
Bennedict Mathurin led the Clippers with 23 points off the bench, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Darius Garland finished with 21 points but battled foul trouble most of the night.
The Clippers now head into the postseason with a cloud hanging over them in the form of the league investigation into Leonard and the franchise's dealings with former team sponsor Aspiration. There is speculation around the league about the future of Leonard with the Clippers, a team that traded away James Harden and Ivica Zubac during the season.
The day will come when the Warriors need to answer questions about their future, but for now the only future that matters to them is Friday night in Phoenix and a chance to get back into the playoffs.
"We've had a really difficult season in many ways, and we're looking at it like the free swing," Kerr said of the play-in before the game. "If we can go get a win tonight, get another crack at it Friday, and we're in the tournament, and then you got a chance, and that's all, that's all you really want."
Chris Paul’s return to the L.A. Clippers didn't go the way he expected. He shared his reaction after his former team's disappointing performance in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Wednesday, April 15.
The Clippers parted ways with the 40-year-old guard in December 2025, but Paul clearly has kept his eyes on the team in the months that followed.
He shared a well-known meme of a man dressed for a funeral, in the moments following the Clippers' season-ending 126-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors on April 15.
— James H. Williams | USA Today (@JHWill) April 16, 2026
Paul was officially traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of a three-team trade on Feb. 5. He was waived by the Raptors and retired on Feb. 13. The 12-time All-Star spent 21 years in the NBA, including parts of seven seasons with the Clippers.
He averaged 2.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game in 16 games played this season.
The Clippers finished third in the Pacific Division after closing out the regular season with a 42-40 record.
INGLEWOOD — 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.
Steph Curry had with 35 points in 36 minutes. APCurry was held to eight points and 2-of-9 shooting in the first half, but exploded for 16 in the third quarter. NBAE via Getty Images
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.
The win was the Warriors’ first against the Clippers in Los Angeles since Nov. 28, 2021. NBAE via Getty Images
Curry gave the Warriors hope.
Horford finished the job.
Golden State limited Kawhi Leonard to 21 points in 40 minutes. AP
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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INGLEWOOD, CA - APRIL 15: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball during the game against the LA Clippers during the SoFi Play-In Tournament on April 15, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors injury mired, frustrating season isn’t over yet. Despite a 13-point fourth quarter deficit, the Dubs defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 and will play the Phoenix Suns for the eighth-seed in the Western Conference. It would be easy to argue that the Clippers were the better team on Wednesday night, leading for most of the game. But they didn’t have Steph Curry.
It would also be easy to argue that Dub Nation would have felt relief for this season to finally be over. The Warriors were disappointing early and mired in drama. Then, they faced an avalanche of injuries just as they seemed to be hitting their stride. There are no logical championship hopes left. Why keep trudging through the muck?
Yet the end to a season, even a disappointing one, only brings Steph Curry’s career closer to an end. It’s why he worked so hard to return from his injury even as the Dubs fell in the standings. We all got to see his magic on display Wednesday because he refused to quit.
Curry had the basketball world transfixed once again. Steph has done it over and over since he first burst onto the scene at Davidson back in 2008. No matter how dark or distracted NBA fandom can be by discourse and debates, nothing has unified everyone for more than a decade than Steph Curry with a basketball in his hands dancing on defenses.
The Warriors victory gifts us all a chance to maybe see a couple more moments like that from Steph this season.
Curry finished with 35 points on 12-for-23 shooting from the field (7-for-12 from three). He was 10-for-14 with 27 points in the second half alone. Despite some ugly moments, Gui Santos finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and a game-high +16 plus/minus. Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis were the most important offensive sidekicks for Steph, though. Porziņģis recorded 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. Horford had 14 critical points.
Benedict Mathurin led the Clippers with 23 points in 29 minutes, and was perhaps underutilized attacking weaker defenders. Kawhi Leonard finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, but committed 5 turnovers and made just one shot in the fourth quarter.
Golden State got off to a horrendous start, particularly offensively. The Clippers unsurprisingly did everything possible to force the ball out of Curry’s hands early and the strategy paid off. The Dubs fell behind 12-2 and would not lead in the quarter.
The Warriors were similarly quick to try and force the ball out of their opponent’s best offensive player’s hands. However, Leonard found his footing quicker and had a supporting cast seemingly more ready for the moment. At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led 31-22.
Porziņģis chose an opportune time to have his best performance since Steph’s return. The center led a 13-0 Warriors run with Curry on the bench to put Golden State ahead. The lead would not last for long, but it did help the Dubs continue to bide their time.
Steph finished the first half with just 8 points on 2-for-9 shooting from the field alongside 0 rebounds or assists. The fact that Golden State only trailed 61-53 was a sign that the Clippers were wasting opportunities.
The Warriors lack of athleticism and offensive creators was on full display against the Clippers length. At times, Santos looked overwhelmed in his first prolonged playoff-adjacent rotation minutes. Santos, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Brandin Podziemski all had uncharacteristic drops and made poor passing decisions. As a team, the Dubs committed 20 turnovers.
Yet, Draymond Green’s defensive effort was the Warriors savior. Leonard capitalized whenever he could get off Green, but Draymond kept the Clippers from every building enough offensive momentum to pull away.
Golden State also targeted Darius Garland, the Clippers dynamic point guard, on defense. He picked up his fifth foul in the third quarter. While he did not foul out until the game was largely decided, his weak defense was made even worse as he tried to avoid fouling out.
It seemed like every time the Warriors pulled within five points, the Clippers answered.
Curry exploded for 16 points in the third quarter, but Los Angeles remained largely in control.
Porziņģis converted an and-one and a deep transition three on back-to-back possessions to cut the deficit to three, but Garland responded with an and-one and a step-back three to bring the lead back to 10.
The Clippers started the fourth quarter ahead by six and immediately went on a 5-0 run. A timely basket from Melton and a three from Santos successfully kept things from getting out of hand. A one-man press from Payton forced a Clippers turnover with 9:27 left in regulation, and Curry checked back in trialing 98-88. On his first possession, he knocked down an open three.
Then Horford emerged for his first signature moment in a Warriors uniform. The future Hall of Famer entered the game with 6:36 left in regulation. The Clippers led 108-99.
Horford made threes on three consecutive possessions. Two minutes later, Horford made his fourth triple of the quarter to give put Golden State ahead 117-115, giving the Warriors their first lead in the second half.
The good news came with some bad, however. Draymond seemed to hyperextend his knee on the next possession. As Brook Lopez went to the free-throw line (where he’d tie the game at 117), Green quickly hobbled to the bench, stretched, and insisted on playing through the pain.
Curry missed a three, but the Warriors forced a stop at the other end to give him another opportunity to break the tie. Leonard would not score in the fourth quarter, save for a mostly-meaningless bucket in the closing seconds, almost entirely thanks to Green.
Curry and Green ran a two-man game as the clock ticked under a minute remaining. Curry tossed the ball to Draymond before faking a cut and spinning around his longest-tenured teammate. Green knew what Steph wanted, left him the ball and Steph shot over two desperately chasing Clippers for a three.
The Warriors led 120-117 with 50.7 seconds left in regulation.
The Clippers called timeout, but that let the Warriors setup defensively. Draymond denied an in-bound pass to Leonard and his steal setup Podziemski for an and-one layup on the other end.
This is INSANE screen navigation from Draymond Green.
Golden State had it’s largest lead of the night (123-117) and Green stole the ball from Leonard again. Steph drew a foul and split the free throws to go ahead by 7. Green continued to lock down defensively and forced the Clippers to burn precious clock. They got a layup, but it was too much too late.
Stephen Curry drives against Darius Garland, left, and Kris Dunn of the Clippers. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
It was do or die Wednesday night at Intuit Dome, and the Clippers did not do enough to keep their season alive, blowing a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter and losing to the Golden State Warriors, 126-121.
Having rebounded from a franchise-worst 6-21 start to earn the next-to-last berth in the NBA play-in tournament, coach Tyronn Lue’s resilient bunch could not extend its historic comeback on its home floor.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 35 points, Kristaps Porzingis and and Gui Santos each had 20, and Brandin Podziemski added 17. The Warriors were 19 for 41 from three-point range, with Al Horford hitting four in the fourth quarter.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points off the bench, while Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland each added 21 points for the Clippers, who won three of the teams’ four regular-season meetings, including a 115-110 victory in the same arena four days earlier. Wednesday night, however, Leonard was held scoreless in the fourth quarter until the final seconds as the Warriors rallied.
"It happens, we’ve won games like that before, we’ve lost games like that before,” Leonard said. "They played great defense, they won the game. They deserve it. They scored 43 points in the fourth quarter.”
Garland, a point guard acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline in exchange for James Harden, contributed mightily to the team’s late-season surge but picked up his fifth foul with 2:51 left in the third quarter and fouled out with 50 seconds left in the fourth.
“It came down to contested threes and not a lot of good possessions for us... in the end No.30 did what 30 does,” he said, referring to Curry. “It was fun for the time I’ve been here. To be in the play-in game is a credit to this group and the coaching staff. This isn’t the way we wanted to end the season, but this group is amazing and everybody wants to win. The championship pedigree they have over there shined through.”
The Clippers got off to a hot start, scoring 12 straight points to take a 10-point lead 3:19 into the game, but Golden State used a 12-2 run of its own to tie it and took a 17-16 lead on Curry’s first three-pointer with 5:07 left in the first. A 15-5 run put the Clippers back up 31-22 at the end of the quarter.
Stephen Curry falls to the court to grab a loose ball against Clippers Bennedict Mathurin and Kris Dunn in the third quarter. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Porzingis’ three-pointer from the top of the key put the Warriors in front early in the second quarter, but the Clippers closed the first half with a flourish. The Warriors' Draymond Green got assessed a technical foul, and Leonard made the ensuing free throw to give his team a 10-point lead with 3:24 left; the Clippers headed to the locker room ahead 61-53.
Back-to-back buckets by Derrick Jones Jr. pushed the Clippers’ lead back to 10 points with 7:48 left in the third quarter, but again the proud Warriors responded with eight straight points by Curry, including a rare four-point play, to pull within four. The Clippers pushed the lead back to 11 before Golden State used a 5-0 run to creep within 89-83 heading to the fourth quarter.
Porzingis’ three-pointer whittled the Warriors' deficit down to three with 8:16 left, but Garland’s three-pointer pushed the margin back to nine with 6:36 left. Horford’s final three gave the Warriors a 117-115 lead with 2:12 left. Brook Lopez hit a pair of free throws to tie it with 1:51 left, but Curry, as he has done so many times in his career, sank a three-pointer to put his team up 120-117 with 50 seconds remaining. Green, guarding Leonard, then tipped away the Clippers' inbounds pass out of a timeout, and Podziemski drove for a three-point play as the visitors hung on.
"We turned the ball over 18 times for 23 points and we can’t do that,” Lue said. “Horford made some big shots to get them back in the game. We had the game in our hands and made silly plays. To be up 13 with 10 minutes left… we have to finish that game.”
Kawhi Leonard walks off the court after the Clippers' season-ending loss. He was held scoreless in the fourth until the final seconds. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Clippers had won nine consecutive home games against Golden State, their longest active home winning streak against a conference opponent. The Warriors had last beat the Clippers in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, 2021 at Staples Center, then their home arena.
The Warriors’ reward is a flight to Phoenix where they will take on the Suns in a Friday night matchup to decide the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference. The Suns had a chance to clinch the No. 7 seed Monday but lost at home to Portland, 114-110. Should the Warriors prevail they will meet No. 1-seeded and defending champion Oklahoma City in a best-of-seven series opening Sunday on the road.
Steve Kerr, who has coached Golden State to four NBA championships in 12 seasons, stated before the game that his team was ready for the challenge — and it was.
“We have a lot of veteran guys who have been through big moments,” Kerr said. "It’s the exact same vibe as any other elimination game — you have to be locked in. We’re aware that this is an opportunity we may not get again, we don’t know. The first year [of the play-in] we were the eighth seed and I hated it. This year we’re 10th and I love it. I think it’s good for the league.”
After their disastrous start the Clippers went 36-19 the rest of the way and became the first team in NBA history to dip 15 games below .500 and finish with a winning record. Leonard played 65 games and averaged a career-best 27.9 points, however Wednesday’s loss was a bitter pill to swallow.
"They had a great game plan, being physical all game and making sure I don’t get my catch-and-shoot shots,” Leonard said. "Draymond Green is a Hall of Fame defender — it was hard to get shots. I’m not used to losing a lot of games early in the season. We could’ve easily let go of the rope but we made strides and the eight seed was right there, but in the end it wasn’t good enough."
Entering the last year of a three-year contract, Leonard was asked if he wanted to remain with the Clippers.
"I’m going to cry about this loss a little more and we’ll have our discussions when the time comes.” he said.
The Clippers dropped to 6-8 all-time in the postseason against the Warriors. Lopez had 17 points, Derrick Jones Jr. had 13, John Collins had 11 and Kris Dunn had seven points and 10 assists.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Stephen Curry hit seven 3-pointers while scoring 35 points, holding every fan at Intuit Dome in his thrall with another dazzling display of his unmatched shooting skill.
In the fourth quarter of an elimination game, Draymond Green bodied up to Kawhi Leonard and utterly shut down one of the greatest scorers of their generation.
Curry and Green have already done it all and won it all during their 14 years and four championships together.
Stephen Curry, who scored a game-high 35 points, celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer during the Warriors’ 126-121 win over the Clippers on April 15, 2026 in Inglewood, Calif. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Golden State Warriors ‘ visit to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night was merely a play-in game for the right to travel to Phoenix after a trying regular season that ended with Golden State sitting eight games below .500 and in 10th place in the Western Conference.
And yet both the style and substance of this 126-121 comeback victory indelibly evoked the brilliance of the Warriors’ golden era.
The few remaining men who have been around for the whole ride were thrilled to travel back in time.
“For one night, we’re us. We’re champions again,” coach Steve Kerr said. “And I know that may sound crazy to everybody out there. It’s a play-in game. I don’t care. Just absolutely beautiful to watch.”
Curry put it even more simply: “That’s what you live for right there.”
Golden State overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter behind Curry, who scored 27 points in a dominant second half. While he took care of the offense, Green took the defensive lead with a smothering effort against Leonard, who couldn’t score in the fourth quarter until the Clippers were cooked.
The Warriors also got stellar contributions from two newcomers. Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists with an exciting series of big plays — and 39-year-old Al Horford shocked the entire arena when he hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of just his third game since missing a month with a strained right calf.
Curry broke a tie with his final 3-pointer, falling into the front row of Clippers fans while the ball pierced the net with 50 seconds left. The superstar was playing just his fifth game since returning from a 27-game absence with a knee injury, and he demonstrated exactly why he rejected any notion that he should shut himself down for the summer.
Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 20 points, slams home a dunk during the Warriors’ win over the Clippers in an NBA play-in game. AP
“This is what you work all year for, all summer, offseason,” Curry said. “We’re not guaranteed a (playoff) series yet, but these nights make everything worth it, because you feel the anxiety of having to perform when the lights are bright, do-or-die game. … Considering how our season has gone, all the injuries and all that, for us to play the way we did tonight was special.”
Green didn’t score in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors credited their defensive stopper for stifling Leonard, whose play for Toronto in the 2019 NBA Finals is still painful in the minds of Golden State fans.
With Green hounding his every move, Leonard got only two shots in the fourth quarter. Leonard finished with 21 points while having a fraction of his usual impact on Clippers games.
Leonard called Green a “Hall of Fame defender. It was hard to even get shots up.”
Green thought the Warriors could be a title contender going into this season, but it didn’t happen. Jimmy Butler went down for the season in January, Moses Moody was sidelined in March, and Golden State finished the regular season on a 5-15 skid to its worst record in a full regular season since 2012.
But after knocking off Los Angeles, Golden State is one win away from making the playoffs anyway. Even for the Warriors who have already won everything, the chance to do the improbable is irresistible.
“I know we’re not satisfied,” Curry said. “We want to go to Phoenix and guarantee a playoff series against OKC. That’s the next goal, but for us to lock in on just 48 minutes, figure out how to get a win, knowing that the game was not going to be perfect, we were all pretty committed to that. The eight guys that got on the floor all had a part in making it happen.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers weathered the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 on Wednesday night and secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Sixers moved on to a first-round series that begins Sunday at Boston.
Desmond Bane and the Magic aren’t done yet. They will host Charlotte on Friday night, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the East and a first-round matchup with Detroit.
Embiid had an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston. While the 76ers haven’t given a timetable for his return, the two-time scoring champion returned to the team on Wednesday, surprising teammates in the locker room and watching the game from the bench.
CLIPPERS 121, WARRIORS 126
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half, Al Horford hit four 3-pointers during Golden State’s electrifying fourth-quarter comeback, and the Warriors advanced in the NBA’s play-in tournament with a victory over Los Angeles.
Curry’s seventh 3-pointer broke a tie with 50.4 seconds to play for the 10th-seeded Warriors, who erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Golden State finished on a 16-6 run and held Kawhi Leonard scoreless in the fourth until the final 16 seconds.
After this time-defying rally, Curry, Draymond Green and the postseason-tested Warriors are one game from another playoff berth despite going 37-45 in the regular season and losing Jimmy Butler for the season in January.
The Warriors will travel to face Phoenix on Friday, with the winner moving on to face defending champion Oklahoma City in the first round.
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It all comes down to one game on Friday, one opportunity to keep the season alive. After falling to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns are now fighting for their postseason lives. They’re also staring at history. Only two teams in the first five years of the Play-In have lost the 7–8 matchup, but both still advanced as the eighth seed. Phoenix is trying to make it three. We now know who they will have to defeat in order to do so.
Their opponent? The Golden State Warriors.
Golden State is coming off an impressive win in the 9-10 game, upsetting the Clippers 126-121 at the Intuit Dome after outscoring Los Angeles 43-32 in the fourth quarter. A team that entered 8–33 when trailing after three quarters found a way, powered by Stephen Curry early and Draymond Green late, to take down the 9th-seeded Clippers. Now they come to Phoenix for a winner-takes-the-eighth-seed, loser-goes-home matchup.
These Pacific Division teams know each other. They met four times this season, with Golden State taking three. Phoenix’s lone win came on December 18, a 99–98 victory for the Suns. The last meeting was on February 5 — trade deadline day — and it was a late collapse for Phoenix in a 101–97 loss. Hmm. Late collapses. It’s been a Suns thing for a while now, hasn’t it?
It sets up an intriguing clash. Both teams have struggled since the All-Star break. Golden State is 8–19 in that stretch, averaging 112.7 points per game. That’s good for 27th in the NBA. But the Suns haven’t been much better, as they’ve gone 13-14 and are sitting near the lower tier offensively as well. Their 110.5 points are 28th in the NBA. This becomes a matchup of two teams searching for rhythm at the worst possible time.
And one team has the best player on the floor.
Curry showed it against the Clippers, dropping 35 points, 16 in the third, 11 in the fourth. He went 4-of-6 in the final frame, including 2-of-3 from deep. When it mattered, he controlled the game. So while the Suns face a Warriors team that finished 37–45 and limped through the end of the season, this is still a group that has had their number and has the player who can take over when everything tightens.
Friday night at the Mortgage Matchup Center. One game. Season on the line. We’ll see which version of this team shows up.
Hornets star LaMelo Ball was fined $35K for his Flagrant 2 foul on Bam Adebayo during Tuesday night’s win over the Heat in the NBA play-in tournament.
The incident happened in the second quarter when Ball fell to the floor after taking a shot and swiped at the leg of Adebayo, causing the Heat big man to fall hard to the court and leave the game with a lower back issue.
In the moment, the play was not called a foul, but the league reviewed the play and assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for “making unnecessary and reckless contact” with Adebayo that “created significant injury risk.”
The Heat’s Bam Adebayo was injured in the team’s play-in game against the Hornets. Screenshot
Adebayo did not return to the game after the incident and the Heat lost the game in overtime 127-126.
Ball was also hit with a $25,000 fine by the NBA for the use of profane language during a live interview on TV after the game.
“I didn’t see it, but I don’t think it’s cute,” Spoelstra told reporters. “I don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play. Obviously, our best player was out.
“I’m not making an excuse. The Hornets played great and they made those plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities to win. That’s a shame.”
Ball also addressed the incident after the game, apologizing for the play.
“I got hit in the head and didn’t really know where I was, but I’m going to check on [Adebayo] and see if he’s OK,” he said.
Bam Adebayo lies on the court and was forced to leave the game with a lower back issue during the first half of the Heat’s loss to the Hornets in an NBA play-in tournament game on April 14, 2026 in Charlotte, N.C. AP
Ball finished the game with 30 points and hit the game-winning layup for the Hornets in overtime with just seconds left on the clock.
