Curry scores 35 as Warriors upset Clippers to extend playoff run

Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors keep their NBA playoff hopes alive, eliminating LA Clippers from the play-in.Al Horford connected on four 3-pointers ‌in the final 5:37 of a Western Conference play-in game, lifting the 10th-place Golden ⁠State Warriors to ⁠a 126-121 win over the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in Inglewood, California.

Golden State advances to a sudden-death matchup against the Suns in Phoenix on Friday to ⁠determine the West’s No 8 seed and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-round playoff opponent. The loss ends the Clippers’ season.

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Horford’s late-game hot streak was part of a game-ending, 27-13 Golden ⁠State run. Stephen Curry punctuated a 35-point night by burying a deep 3-pointer with 50.4 seconds remaining, putting the Warriors ahead to stay, 120-117. Curry’s seven makes on 12 attempts from beyond the arc paced the Warriors to a 19-of-41 long-range barrage (46.3 percent).

Despite Curry’s contributions, it was Horford who stole the ‌show.

The 39-year-old veteran had just two points off the bench before his late onslaught. He finished with 14 points, set up for his pivotal baskets off two assists from Gui Santos, sandwiched between a pair of assists from Curry.

Santos played a key all-around role for the Warriors, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Golden State also got 20 points from Kristaps Porzingis, including six straight points over one ⁠stretch in the fourth quarter.

Porzingis followed up converting a successful and-one ⁠opportunity with a 3-pointer, the sequence trimming a nine-point Clippers lead to three with 8:17 to go.

Los Angeles answered when Darius Garland converted his own and-one, then Garland fed Brook Lopez for an interior bucket. Garland wrapped up his ⁠big stretch with a 3-pointer that pushed the Los Angeles’ lead back to nine with 6:37 left.

That was the last point the Clippers ⁠appeared in control during a game that they led for most ⁠of the way.

Garland and Kawhi Leonard, who each finished with 21 points, helped Los Angeles build an advantage of as many as 13 points. The Clippers couldn’t shake the Warriors in the second half, however, particularly as Leonard ‌went cold on offence.

Leonard committed a pair of turnovers in the fourth quarter and scored his only points of the period on a dunk in the final seconds after Golden State had ‌essentially ‌wrapped up the win. Leonard scored 14 of his points in the first half, including going coast-to-coast for a slam just before halftime.

Bennedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23 points off the bench.

Maxey sends 76ers into playoffs

Earlier, Tyrese Maxey scored 11 of his ‌team-high 31 points in the fourth quarter for the host ⁠Philadelphia 76ers, who ⁠advanced to the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Orlando Magic 109-97 in a play-in game.

The 76ers, who finished in seventh place in ⁠the Eastern Conference with a 45-37 record, will be the seventh seed and will face the second-seeded Boston Celtics in a best-of-seven series starting on Sunday.

The Magic, who ⁠were also 45-37 but lost the home-court tiebreaker to the 76ers via Philadelphia’s 2-1 record in the season series, will face the ninth-place Charlotte Hornets in a play-in game to determine the eighth seed on Friday. The Hornets edged the 10th-place Miami Heat 127-126 ‌in overtime on Tuesday.

Starter VJ Edgecombe (19 points, 11 rebounds) and reserve Andre Drummond (14 points, 10 rebounds) each had a double-double for the 76ers, who are headed to the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years.

Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre Jr scored 19 points while Paul George added 16 points.

Desmond Bane put up 34 points for the Magic, who are aiming for their third straight playoff appearance. ⁠Paolo Banchero had 18 points while Anthony Black collected 13 ⁠points off the bench. Franz Wagner added 12 points.

Neither team led by more than six in the first half, which ended with the 76ers ahead 59-55. Bane and Banchero combined for the first ⁠five points of the third quarter before Edgecombe hit a 3-pointer to put Philadelphia ahead for good at 62-60 with 10:54 ⁠left, prompting a 14-2 run. The Magic ended ⁠the quarter on a 12-6 surge to close within 79-74.

Bane’s 3-pointer pulled the Magic within 83-81 with 9:47 remaining, after which George missed a 3-point attempt. But Bane also missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 9:16 left, ‌and Maxey answered with a layup to extend the 76ers’ lead to 85-81.

Orlando pulled within one or two points twice more, but Edgecombe and Maxey responded with ‌jumpers ‌on those occasions. Maxey scored seven unanswered points to give the 76ers a 94-86 edge with 6:25 left. The hosts led by at least four the rest of the way.

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