Four months after being pushed into retirement by the Clippers, future Hall of Famer Chris Paul apparently took delight in the team’s quick exit from the postseason Wednesday night.
Paul, the Clippers’ all-time assists leader, called out teammates, coaches and executives during his short second stint with the team early this season. In an effort to inject accountability during the team’s 6-21 start, Paul instead angered many, including head coach Tyronn Lue, who wasn’t on speaking terms with Paul at the end.
“Everyone was fed up,” a league source told The Times in December.
Paul, who is second to John Stockton in NBA career assists with 12,552, posted at the time about his being cut on social media, saying “Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home,” along with a peace emoji.
For their part, the Clippers turned around their season, going 36-19 after a horrific start to finish with a winning record for the 15th consecutive season at 42-40.
Then came the dispiriting loss to the Warriors and the 40-year-old Paul’s opportunity to get in the last meme, even though it wasn’t exactly original. Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid posted the same one when the team traded guard Ben Simmons in 2022.
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 Ty 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-of-41 from 3-point range.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points 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.
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 three-pointer just before the seven-minute mark. A 15-5 run put the Clippers back up 31-22 at the end of the first quarter.
Steph 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. Draymond Green got assessed a technical foul and Leonard made the ensuing free throw to give his team a 10-point lead and the Clippers headed to the locker room ahead 61-53.
Back-to-back buckets by Jones Jr. pushed the Clippers’ lead to 10 points with 7:48 left in the third quarter, but again the proud Warriors responded on a rare four-point play by Curry 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 eight with 6:36 left. Al Horford’s three-pointer gave the Warriors a 117-115 lead with 2:12 left, 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 and the visitors hung on.
IKawhi Leonard walks off the court after the Clippers’ season-ending loss.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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.
Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists off the bench, and the Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 115-110 on Sunday in a play-in tournament preview.
The Clippers settled for the No. 9 seed and will host the 10th-seeded Warriors on Wednesday after Portland beat Sacramento 122-110 to claim the eighth seed. The Clippers and Trail Blazers finished with identical 42-40 records, but Portland won the tiebreaker based on its better Western Conference record.
The Clippers began the season 6-21 and rallied to extend their franchise-record streak of 15 seasons with a winning record, the longest active run in the NBA and fourth-longest in league history.
Stephen Curry scored 24 points, going four for nine from three-point range, to lead the Warriors, who finished 37-45. Curry was limited to 29 minutes after playing in four of the last five games, having missed the previous 27 because of a right knee injury.
The Clippers’ bench outscored the Warriors’ reserves 71-56. Besides Mathurin, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 17 points, tying his season high with five three-pointers, including three in a row in the fourth quarter.
John Collins added 18 points and nine rebounds as one of six Clippers in double figures.
Kawhi Leonard sat out for the Clippers to rest ankle and wrist injuries, while Draymond Green was out for the Warriors because of a bad back.
The Clippers hit five threes in the fourth, when the Warriors had just one to end the game.
The Warriors tied it five times in the third quarter, but the Clippers took an 83-81 lead into the fourth.
SAN FRANCISCO — Fans from New Zealand and Australia held signs toward the camera. They had traveled thousands of miles to watch Warriors star Stephen Curry play.
One sign crossed out “play” and replaced it with a frowning face.
They were instead treated to a steady performance from LeBron James, who led the Lakers to a 119-103 win over the Warriors on Thursday, with 26 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers kept pace with the Houston Rockets in a tight race for the No. 4 seed in the West.
Battling a chronic knee injury in the latter stages of the season, Curry watched from the sideline. His absence in the Warriors’ last home game of the season also put a damper on what could have been another enthralling matchup between the league’s two biggest stars.
Between the artistry of Curry and the physicality of James, they’ve been faces of the NBA, Lakers coach JJ Redick said. But with the 41-year-old James not under contract after this season, the generational stars may never compete on an NBA court against each other again. Redick called the idea “dark.”
“It’s been fun to watch as a fan,” Redick said of the rivalry between Curry and James, “and it’s been fun to be a part of it the last couple years.”
Curry greeted James before the game. Now a sneaker free agent after his high-profile departure from longtime sponsor Under Armour, Curry honored his contemporary with a blue and yellow version of the LeBron X iD sneakers.
Trying to avoid their longest losing streak of the season, the Lakers (51-29) relied on James to steady the ship. After the Lakers gave up a 9-0 run to start the second quarter, he hit a contested three out of a timeout to get the team back on track. He fed the ball to Deandre Ayton, keeping the big man engaged for 21 points on nine-of-11 shooting with five rebounds.
Losing James before Tuesday’s game against the Thunder added to an emotional week for the Lakers. They lost Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the same game in a blowout loss in Oklahoma City last week and had to face the Thunder again without James. Jaxson Hayes was a late scratch Tuesday and remains day-to-day after missing Thursday’s game as well.
Lakers star LeBron James shoots during a win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
(David M. Barreda / Los Angeles Times)
Redick admitted the Lakers were not prepared to compete against the Thunder at home Tuesday. He recognized trying to inject some energy into his team by calling early timeouts and subbing out veterans such as Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt perhaps didn’t help, especially after a heated exchange with Vanderbilt was caught on camera.
“What I told the team today — I think this is important — is we have had a very disjointed season because of all the injuries and throughout the year, we, collectively, staff, players, we’ve had to figure out the best path forward with whatever group is available,” Redick said. “And that’s no different right now. We have to figure out over these next three games and over next week, the best path for this team to play winning basketball.”
Through the emotional ups-and-downs, Redick checks in with Reaves and Doncic daily. Doncic, currently in Spain receiving treatment on his injured hamstring, is in “relatively — relatively good spirits,” Redick said. Doncic is “attacking” his rehab, Redick said, but being away from the team has taken a toll on his psyche. Reaves, who is out with a Grade 2 left oblique strain that is expected to take four to six weeks to heal, has benefited from staying with the team.
“I think for both of those guys, there is, like, a carrot,” Redick said. “If we can get this season extended, they can come back and they can play. Those guys love playing basketball.”
The Lakers lost the No. 3 seed, and are fighting to maintain home-court advantage over Houston, which won its eighth straight game Thursday. Both teams have two games remaining and the Lakers have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
NBA star marks comeback after nine weeks as Houston Rockets beat Golden State Warriors 117-116 in San Francisco.
By Reuters and The Associated Press
Published On 6 Apr 20266 Apr 2026
Stephen Curry marked his return from a two-month absence with 29 points but ended up on the losing side as the Houston Rockets edged the Golden State Warriors 117-116 in San Francisco.
The Rockets’ Alperen Sengun capped a 24-point performance with a go-ahead interior hoop with 11.1 seconds remaining, sealing his team’s victory on Sunday night.
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In his first return to San Francisco as a member of the Rockets, former Warriors star Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 31 points for Houston (49-29).
Durant also found time for a team-high eight assists and eight rebounds, one shy of Smith’s nine for team honours in both categories.
The Rockets have now moved within one game of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets in their three-team duel for third place in the Western Conference.
Brandin Podziemski backed Curry with 18 points for the Warriors (36-42), who have virtually assured themselves of the 10th seed in the Western play-in tournament.
Sengun’s four-footer from the middle of the key came after Golden State used a 17-6 burst to overtake the visitors on a Gary Payton II layup with 19.6 seconds remaining.
Golden State had a shot after Sengun’s hoop, but Curry misfired under heavy pressure from 30 feet, capping a 5-for-10 effort from three-point range.
Jabari Smith Jr had 23 points, Amen Thompson 18 and Reed Sheppard 11 for the Rockets, who won their sixth straight game.
Alperen Sengun led the Houston Rockets’ offence against the Golden State Warriors [Noah Graham/Getty Images via AFP]
Curry, who had missed 27 straight games since a January 30 injury against Detroit, played 26 minutes, during which he hit 11 of his 21 shots.
Coming off the bench in the regular season for the first time in 14 years, Curry was greeted by a warm standing ovation and greetings on the big screen when he entered with 4:54 left in the opening quarter.
“He’s one of the most beloved players in league history, Bay Area history in any sport, and I think a long absence like this reminds everybody how lucky we are to see him, to watch him, to coach him, to play with him,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “So tonight’s a special night because we’re reminded of how lucky we’ve been and how lucky we still are.”
Kerr said before the game that it is still unclear how many of the remaining games Curry will play, given Golden State have five contests in eight days with a back-to-back the rest of the way – and the expectation is he would not play on consecutive nights.
“We’re going to manage it accordingly. The plan for tonight would be shorter bursts, and we’ll see on the minutes,” Kerr said. “But first game back, he’s not playing 48 minutes.”
