The Los Angeles Clippers have avoided the Play-In Tournament after defeating the Golden State Warriors 124-119 in the final game of the season. It took overtime for the Clippers to get the job done, but big games from James Harden and Kawhi Leonard helped seal the win for them, and they'll face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
The game came down to the final seconds of the game in overtime, and Draymond Green had the perfect opportunity to tie the game but missed a layup.
“Too bad, Draymond. Just too bad,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Warriors had another chance to tie the game, but Buddy Hield missed the 3-pointer and the Clippers walked away with the win. Harden finished the game with 39 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists, and Leonard finished with 33 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.
“IM POURING HONEY ON KAWHI & HARDEN WOOOOO,” another user wrote.
Article Continues Below“GOOD FIGHT GREAT WIN I BELIEVE IN THIS TEAM,” a third user wrote.
For the Warriors, they'll have to enter the Play-In Tournament and will face the Memphis Grizzlies for a chance to face the Houston Rockets in the playoffs. If the Warriors lose that game, they'll play the winner of the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks game for a chance to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
The Nuggets and Clippers are now set to face each other in the first round and should be a good matchup between two teams that have played really well this season. The biggest thing for the Clippers is if Leonard can stay healthy, as the past few seasons have not worked out in his favor at the end of the season.
Other players will have to continue to play well too if they want to have a good chance of beating the Nuggets, and it's a series that could possibly go to six or seven games.