A golden comeback, capped by an instant-classic Steph Curry triple, in another Play-In thriller.
As coach Steve Kerr put it: ‘This is why Steph came back.‘
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Dubs Stun Clips: Curry’s vintage flurry, Horford’s epic 4th and an unreal clutch rally
Warriors’ Way: With their season on the line, Golden State’s championship vets delivered
Playoff Philly: Key contributions and Maxey’s 31 points move Sixers past Magic
Friday Look-Ahead: Magic-Hornets, Warriors-Suns, winner to Playoffs, loser goes home
Awaiting Friday’s Winners: Shaun Powell examines what’s ahead for both No. 1 seeds
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament sends its final two teams to the Playoffs – and two more home – on Friday, when the Magic host the Hornets (7:30 ET, Prime), followed by the Warriors visiting the Suns (10 ET, Prime).
Playoffs Saturday: Friday’s winners earn their conference’s No. 8 seed (but won’t play until Sunday). The NBA Playoffs tip off Saturday with four Game 1s across Prime and ABC, followed by four more Sunday on ABC and NBC.
Viewership Jumps: 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV during the regular season – the most in 24 years and up 86% from last season.
1. CURRY IGNITES WARRIORS PAST CLIPS IN ANOTHER PLAY-IN CLASSIC
They had lost seven of their last eight games entering Wednesday.
They were 8-33 this year when trailing entering the 4th quarter.
But with their season on the brink, staring at a 13-point deficit with 9:53 left in last night’s win-or-go-home showdown, the Warriors found a way.
And in the biggest moment, it was Steph Curry.
Warriors 126, Clippers 121: Curry (7 3s) dropped 27 of his 35 points in the 2nd half, willing Golden State back in the 4th alongside Al Horford (14 pts, 3 3s) as the Warriors closed on a 16-5 run, highlighted by Steph’s off-balance, go-ahead 3 with 50 seconds left to stun the Clippers. | Recap
Steph Spark: After going down 10 early in the 2nd half, Curry caught fire for 16 points in the 3rd, drilling three triples in a three-minute span to cut the deficit to six entering the 4th.
It was only the start.
- Clips Clap Back: After holding multiple double-digit leads, Bennedict Mathurin (23 pts) and Darius Garland (21 pts, 8 ast) pushed LA’s edge back to 13 with 9:53
- Steph Says Hello: Moments later, Curry checked back in and immediately splashed a 3, jumpstarting a push that trimmed the deficit to seven
Then, Al’s Eruption: With the comeback brewing, Horford brought the jolt: a 3 to cut it to five. Another triple fifty seconds later. Then, a third — all within two minutes.
- Closing In: Curry and Gui Santos (20 pts) added two more buckets, trimming the deficit to one with 2:12 left
- Then, Horford Hit Again: It was his fourth 3 in 3:35 of game time – and the Warriors’ first lead since 8:11 in the 2nd quarter, up two with 2:12 left
- But It Was Short Lived: LA quickly answered at the line, tying the game with under two to play
The Warriors needed one more bucket.
So they went to Steph.
With all five defenders keyed on him, Curry gave it up to Draymond Green at the top — then got it right back on a dribble handoff. He looked to turn the corner, but Brook Lopez walled him off, so he stepped back and fired:
Prime’s Kevin Harlan was in disbelief. The Intuit Dome was in disarray. Curry was in the front row, watching it drop.
Warriors up three with 50 seconds left.
Two steals from Green later, and Golden State was golden in the Play-In once again.
2. WARRIORS’ WAY: VETERAN CHAMPS LIFT GOLDEN STATE LATE
When the lights turn up, Steph Curry shines brightest.
Exactly one year from last night, on April 15, 2025, Curry scored 15 of his 37 points in the 4th quarter of a Play-In game to beat Memphis, sending Golden State to the Playoffs.
That’s what the four-time NBA champion does. Tenth in all-time Playoff points and first in Playoff 3s, Curry’s built for moments like these. Late, tight, season on the line — where time and time again, Curry delivers.
And he’s owned the SoFi Play-In stage.
- Meeting The Moment: Steph has played in five career Play-In games. He’s scored 35+ points in four of them
- Another Level: Only one other player has multiple career 35+ point performances in the Play-In: Ja Morant, with two
- Always Dangerous: Curry also owns the highest scoring average in Play-In Tournament history (min. 3 GP), with a scorching 34 ppg
- Unfazed Fire: That included playing past a minutes restriction last night as he works his way back from a knee injury, making multiple trips to the locker room before taking over
- That Takeover? Seven 3s on 12-of-23 shooting, including a 10-of-14 mark in the 2nd half – capped by another clutch Curry banger
- “All it takes is one,” said Steve Kerr postgame of Curry’s outbursts. “That’s his magic. He can will himself into a game. He has so much belief, so much competitive desire – it’s amazing to watch.”
That competitive desire fuels a veteran-laden Warriors squad with championship DNA – and it showed up Wednesday.
It started with Al Horford.
- Worth The Wait: Horford, who won the 2024 NBA title with Boston, has battled through injuries in his first season with Golden State, missing 37 games
- But he saved his biggest game for the biggest spot, scoring 12 in the 4th with his four late 3s – matching his highest-scoring quarter of the season
The night ended with Draymond Green.
- Winning Hustle: After Curry’s go-ahead 3, Green stole LA’s inbound to set up a Brandin Podziemski bucket
- 10 Seconds Later: “Green stole the ball!” Another swipe, this time on Kawhi Leonard (21 pts, 7 ast), who Green limited to 2 points in the 4th
- Winning Duo: Draymond finished with 7 points, 6 boards, 9 assists and a game-high 4 steals, as he and Curry reached the Playoffs together for the 11th time
- “I’ve been watching them for 12 years,” said Kerr of Curry and Green. “There’s a reason we have four championships, and it’s the competitiveness. The heart. The will…
- “It’s been such a tough year, but to just show what they’re made of – what we’re made of … with all the wins we’ve ever had here … this one is right up there.”
Up Next? Another elimination game, as the Warriors visit the Suns on Friday (10 ET) to decide the West’s No. 8 seed in the Playoffs. The loser goes home.
3. SIXERS CLAIM NO. 7 SEED: MAXEY MOVES PHILLY PAST ORLANDO
A year with its share of key injuries and absences.
An emergency appendectomy for franchise star Joel Embiid.
A Play-In elimination setting promising the unpredictable.
Questions continued to follow the 76ers and their 2025-26 aspirations through the finish of the regular season.
Wednesday night, Tyrese Maxey had an answer.
In front of Allen Iverson and the Philly faithful and in the classic black jerseys the team wore in the 2001 Finals, Maxey drove the Sixers back to the Playoffs after missing out last year.
Sixers 109, Magic 97: Maxey scored 11 of his 31 points in the 4th quarter, including a stretch of 7 straight that pulled Philly out of a one-possession game to a double-digit win, claiming the No. 7 seed for the Sixers and sending them to a First-Round series in Boston.
Desmond Bane’s game-high 34 points led the Magic, who now return home to host the 9-seed Hornets in the SoFi Play-In Tournament finale Friday to decide the 8-seed. | Recap
- “I told [the team] at the beginning of the year, ‘I don’t care what it takes, we’re going to the Playoffs,’” Maxey said postgame
- What It Took: Tyrese got his 31 efficiently but on a game-high 25 shots (44 FG%), leading all players with 42 minutes, following a season where he played the most minutes of his career (38 mpg)
- Maxey’s Move: After a 24-14 Magic run made it 86-87 with under 8 minutes to go, Tyrese took off with a floater, a triple and another floater to stretch the lead back to 8
- The Close: Orlando never got back within 4, with Maxey rising up for a game-sealing block in the final minute, before Andre Drummond (14 pts, 10 reb) delivered the dagger 3
“He’s been doing a bit of that lately… understanding we need his greatness at the right time,” coach Nick Nurse said of Maxey and his decisive 7-point burst.
- Top-5 Ty: Maxey’s 31 is good for the 5th-highest scoring performance of this year’s Play-In Tournament, after ranking top-5 in scoring (career-best 28.3 ppg) throughout a season in which all his offensive averages increased
- Winning Wings: Joining Maxey with over 40 minutes played Wednesday, VJ Edgecombe (11 reb) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (5 3s) contributed 19 points apiece
- What’s Next: The 7-seed Sixers now face the 2-seed Celtics Sunday, the start of an NBA-record 23rd Playoff series between the two teams. No other postseason matchup has met more than 15 times
The Magic still have another chance to join the Sixers in that Playoff field, facing a Hornets squad that’s won its way into the Play-In finale, and six of its last eight games.
- “There’s frustration, but it’s also a great opportunity ahead of us on Friday,” Bane said. “Get the chance to play at home in front of our fans… and the chance to go clinch a Playoff spot. I’m excited for the challenge.”
- Orlando’s Outputs: After Bane’s 34 on Wednesday, the Magic got a combined 43 points from Paolo Banchero (18), Anthony Black (13) and Franz Wagner (12)
4. FRIDAY LOOK-AHEAD: WIN OR GO HOME ON PRIME
After two nights of 7 vs. 8 and 9 vs. 10 Play-In games, the stakes take another step up in Friday’s Play-In finale.
Win? A date with the No. 1 seed in the NBA Playoffs.
Lose? That’s a wrap on 2025-26.
We’ll dive more into each matchup in Friday’s edition, but let’s get you started here…
East | No. 10 Hornets at No. 8 Magic (7:30 ET, Prime): LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel lead Charlotte against Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner in a battle of opposing styles.
- 3s Are Key: While Charlotte led the regular season in made 3s (16.4), no team allowed fewer triples than Orlando, which held its opponents to just 12.1 per game
- Late Magic: Although the Magic couldn’t edge Philly last night, they’ve shined in crunch time this season with 21 clutch wins – tied with the Pistons for the most in the NBA
- Buzzing Hornets: They’ll now face a Hornets squad coming off an electric OT win over Miami in Tuesday’s winner-take-all duel – moving them one win shy of their first Playoff berth in a decade
- Up Next: The winner earns the East’s No. 8 seed, setting up a First Round matchup against the No. 1 Pistons (Game 1: Sunday at 6:30 ET, NBC)
West | No. 10 Warriors at No. 7 Suns (10 ET, Prime): Steph, Draymond & Co. look to complete their climb against Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks.
- Series Rewind: Golden State took three of four from Phoenix this season, with the Suns earning a last-minute 99-98 win Dec. 18 in which they held Curry to 2-of-9 from 3
- Three & D Edge: Phoenix (45-37) finished 8 games ahead of Golden State and joined Boston as the only teams to rank top-5 in 3s (14.8 3pg) and top-10 in defense (112.9)
- More History? The Dubs aim for a second road win to join last year’s Miami Heat as the only 10-seeds to advance out of the SoFi Play-In Tournament
- OKC Awaits: The West’s No. 8 seed goes to the winner, sending them into the First Round against the defending-champion 1-seed Thunder (Game 1: Sunday at 3:30 ET, ABC)
5. AWAITING FRIDAY’S WINNERS: WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE NO. 1 SEEDS
Ask the last three NBA champions:
2025: No. 1-seed Thunder.
2024: No. 1-seed Celtics.
2023: No. 1-seed Nuggets.
The top seed in the Playoffs is a coveted spot to be in. But what are some of the challenges?
This year’s Thunder and Pistons, for instance, won’t have their First Round Playoff matchups solidified until Friday’s Play-In finale — making them the last seeds to have their opponent set.
NBA.com’s Shaun Powell examines the potential traps and hurdles OKC and Detroit could face on the Playoff road ahead, as they prepare for their Play-In challengers:
Being a top seed in the NBA playoffs has its privileges. Home-court advantage throughout the rounds and the most favorable matchups every round from a seeding standpoint are the obvious two…
[But] in the Playoffs, even with a seven-game series, sometimes the hotter team ultimately prevails, making all that hard work in the regular season moot.
These are the realities for the top-seeded Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder starting next weekend.” | Read More
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