Al Horford Buried Four 3s in 5 Minutes and the Warriors Just Punched Their Playoff Ticket

The Golden State Warriors weren't supposed to be here. The 10th seed. The play-in tournament. A sudden-death matchup to even sniff the playoffs. But Wednesday night in Inglewood, Al Horford decided that script was getting rewritten, and he did it one three-pointer at a time.

With 5:37 left in the game, Horford connected on four consecutive three-pointers to lift the Warriors past the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 in a Western Conference play-in game that ended the Clippers' season. Golden State now advances to Phoenix on Friday to face the Suns for the No. 8 seed and the right to be the Oklahoma City Thunder's first-round opponent.

Horford's Clutch Stroke Ignites a 27-13 Run

Here's the thing: Horford had just two points off the bench before his late explosion. Then something clicked. He finished with 14 points, setting up his pivotal baskets on assists from Gui Santos and Stephen Curry in a stretch that felt completely inevitable in the moment, even though nobody saw it coming.

The Warriors' entire fourth quarter was a masterclass in survival. Golden State ripped off a 27-13 closing run to steal a game the Clippers had led for most of the night, building a lead as large as 13 points. But the Warriors kept pecking away, and when Curry buried a deep three-pointer with 50.4 seconds left to go up 120-117, it was over.

Curry's 35 Points Set the Stage

Let's be clear: this was a Stephen Curry performance first. The future Hall of Famer dropped 35 points and went 7-of-12 from three, pacing Golden State's 19-of-41 long-range showing (46.3%). Gui Santos was equally crucial, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points, including a crucial stretch in the fourth where he converted an and-one and nailed a three-pointer that trimmed LA's nine-point lead down to three with 8:17 remaining.

The Clippers couldn't answer. Kawhi Leonard went cold down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 21 points in the first half and finishing the fourth quarter with just a dunk in the final seconds. Darius Garland also had 21 points, and Bennedict Mathurin led the bench with 23 off the pine, but none of it mattered once Golden State locked in.

The Warriors play the Suns in Phoenix on Friday. Win that, and they're in the playoffs proper. This is what survive-and-advance looks like.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.