Curry shone in the Warriors’ victory over the Clippers and the Sixers advanced against the Magic in the NBA play-in
The second day of NBA play-in offered a fantastic closing with a new show by Stephen Curry in the narrow victory of Golden State Warriors against Los Angeles Clipperswhich was eliminated. First turn, Philadelphia 76ers secured their qualification for the playoffs with success against Orlando Magic.
Curry sent the Clippers on vacation
Stephen Curry dressed as an executioner in the play-in eliminatory duel between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors, in which those from the Bay won 126-121 to still aspire for the last place in the playoffs.
The Warriors will face the Phoenix Suns on Friday as visitors. Whoever wins will be the rival of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the Western Conference. The Clippers, for their part, said goodbye to a season that was a roller coaster.
With 9:53 left, the Clippers were up 98-85, with a maximum difference of +13. Curry, who had scored 16 points in the third quarter but whose minutes were regulated by Steve Kerr, was resting.
The game was getting out of hand for the Warriors and Kerr had no choice but to play him. Within 6 seconds, Curry had already made a three-pointer.
It was an extraordinary quarter for the Warriors, in which they scored 43 points, 24 of them from the perimeter, with 8 of 11 in triples.
In fact, Kerr’s team finished the game with 19 three-pointers, which helped them offset the 35 points they conceded with their 20 turnovers.
Dominican Al Horford, author of four of Golden State’s three-pointers in the fourth quarter, in a period of just over three minutes, put the Warriors ahead 117-115 with 2:12 remaining.
The game entered the last minute with a tie at 117. Curry took the ball and nailed another triple to make it 120-117, an advantage that would prove definitive after Draymond Green stole the next two balls from Kawhi Leonard. Like in the old days.
Curry finished with 35 points, while Gui Santos and Kristaps Porzingis added 20 each and Al Horford 14.
For the Clippers, Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points on 5 of 6 three-pointers. Darius Garland and Leonard finished with 21 each and Brook Lopez with 17.
The elimination at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood was a real blow for the Clippers, who, after a disastrous start to the season, climbed positions and also overcame the departures of James Harden to Cleveland and Ivica Zubac to Indiana.
In the end, those from Bahía, in a very irregular season marked by injuries and that came with seven defeats in the last eight games, made use of their postseason experience to win one more life.
Maxey led the Sixers against the Magic
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, VJ Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Philadelphia 76ers overcame Joel Embiid’s absence to beat Orlando Magic 109-97 on Wednesdaythereby securing the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Sixers advanced to a first-round series that begins Sunday in Boston against the Celtics.
Desmond Bane and the Magic are not done yet. They will host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, with the winner earning the eighth seed in the East and a first-round matchup against the Detroit Pistons.
Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston. Although the 76ers did not give a timetable for his return, the NBA’s two-time leading scorer returned to the team on Wednesday, surprising his teammates in the locker room and watching the game from the bench.
Maxey, chosen for the first time in his career as a starter in the Eastern Conference All-Star Game, scored 7 consecutive points at the end of the fourth quarter to give the Sixers some margin against a Magic that wasted the opportunity to play this game at home after a collapse during the final minutes in a loss to the Celtics in the season finale.
Bane, who averaged 20.1 points and played in all 82 games, carried Orlando’s offense with 34 points. He hit a three-pointer that brought Orlando within 2 points and Anthony Black hit another three-pointer that put the Magic up 87-86. Maxey had a little more help down the stretch.
Andre Drummond filled the void left by Embiid with 14 points and 10 rebounds as a reserve, Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 19 points and Paul George contributed 16.
George, who served a 25-game suspension this season for testing positive for doping, hit a step-back jumper in the third quarter that extended the lead to 7 and prompted an Orlando timeout. Later, he fumbled the ball to the opponent and gave it to Edgecombe, who dunked – and faced – Jalen Suggs to make the score 73-62.
Edgecombe, the third overall pick in last year’s draft, was penalized for provocation and referees had to separate the teams. Oubre waved his arms toward a roaring crowd and the Sixers looked ready to make a bigger difference.
