James Harden had 12 of his game-high 39 points in overtime Sunday afternoon, delivering the Los Angeles Clippers a 124-119 win over the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco that will send the Clippers directly into the NBA playoffs while relegating the Warriors to the play-in bracket.
Kawhi Leonard contributed 33 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals and Ivica Zubac logged a double-double with 22 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, helping the Clippers (50-32) secure the fifth seed in the Western playoffs and an opening-round matchup with the No. 4 Denver Nuggets.
Stephen Curry bombed in 36 points, 21 coming on 3-pointers, for the Warriors (48-34), who dropped to seventh place in the West, where they will face the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies in a play-in game Tuesday night in San Francisco. The winner will advance as the 7-seed to meet the No. 2 Houston Rockets in the playoffs.
Harden gave the Clippers the lead for good in the five-minute overtime with a 3-pointer 69 seconds into the session. He later added another 3-pointer, two free throws, a floater in the lane and two more clinching foul shots with 3.0 seconds left to secure LA’s eighth consecutive win.
The Warriors had two chances to tie late in the overtime, but Draymond Green missed a layup with 26.1 seconds remaining when Golden State was down just two, and Buddy Hield misfired on a 3-point attempt with 5.1 seconds left that also could have drawn the hosts even.
The extra session followed a tight finish to regulation during which Curry had 18 of his 36 in the final 7:52. But the final shot belonged to Leonard, who was harassed by Warriors defensive ace Green into an off-line 20-footer.
Harden also found time for a game-high 10 assists for the Clippers, who swept the four-game season series from Golden State. Norman Powell aided the cause with 11 points apiece.
Jimmy Butler III backed Curry with 30 points and a team-high nine assists for the Warriors, who lost two of their last three, with both defeats coming at home. Brandin Podziemski had 19 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds, while Green finished with 14 points and two blocks.
