Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”
SAN FRANCISCO – Game 82 of the 2024-25 NBA regular season wasn’t exactly a win or go home for the Warriors, but it certainly had a playoff feel Sunday at Chase Center.
Win, and the Warriors were guaranteed the No. 6 NBA playoff seed and a first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Lose, and the Warriors dropped to the No. 7 seed, hosting an NBA play-in tournament game on their home court.
The drama. The suspense. Sports were at their finest, and the Warriors were outlasted 124-119 in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jimmy Butler played nearly flawless basketball for the Warriors (30 points, nine assists, 12-of-20 shooting). Steph Curry, fighting off a right thumb injury, started off extremely slow but scored 21 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Brandin Podziemski was a team-high plus-14, giving Golden State 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Curry also had a season-high eight turnovers.
On the other side, Kawhi Leonard (33 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals, 13-of-19 shooting), James Harden (38 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists) and Ivica Zubac (22 points, 17 rebounds) were sensational.
While Zubac hauled in 17 rebounds of his own, the Warriors only grabbed 25 as a team. Podziemski had seven rebounds, but the rest of Golden State’s starters had seven. The Clippers finished with 17 more rebounds than the Warriors, and eight more second-chance points.
Here are three takeaways from a wild final game of the regular season.
Steph’s Late Surge
With his right thumb padded and wrapped in athletic tape, Curry wasn’t going let another injury concern deter him from playing the regular-season finale. Whether it was pain, discomfort or something else, Curry was off early on. He scored five points in the first quarter, but had three bad turnovers and already was whistled for two fouls.
The Warriors then went on a 22-9 run without him before he came back during the second quarter. Curry scored eight points in the second quarter, bringing him to 13, but he was a minus-15 in 15 first-half minutes.
As Butler continued to carry the Warriors, Curry only scored two points in the third quarter and was down to a minus-16 entering the fourth. The Warriors trailed by one point going into the fourth, needing any extra juice Curry could muster to give them a final jolt. He entered with nine minutes left and the Warriors down by four points.
Curry hit a deep three with a little under eight minutes remaining to cut the deficit to four points. A fire was lit. Curry exploded for an absurd 18 points in the fourth quarter, putting on a cinematic show for all to enjoy.
WARDELL FOR 3 💦 pic.twitter.com/YZ8Xp6ZVUG
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 13, 2025
Butler vs. Leonard
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder at center court for the opening tipoff. Not all eyes gravitated to Butler and Leonard, but the two players completely change the outlook of their respective teams. The Warriors had lost all three of their previous games against the Clippers this season, though none included either player.
Butler kicked into get-into-the-playoffs mode right away, scoring 10 first-quarter points. Only two of those points were from the free-throw line, where Butler has lived since joining the Warriors at the NBA trade deadline. He went 4-of-6 shooting and even threw down two dunks.
JIMMY JAM 💥 pic.twitter.com/HIyxIY6KhJ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 13, 2025
ANOTHER Jimmy Jam ‼pic.twitter.com/Qrvkhh9Lcy
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 13, 2025
Butler and Leonard undoubtedly were the two best players on the floor. Each looked spry and determined to bring their team a victory. Butler was up to 13 points and seven assists by halftime, but Leonard was even better. In 21 minutes, Leonard was a plus-12 with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and had four rebounds and four assists.
Leonard had 25 points going into the fourth quarter, and Butler was at 24. Butler opened the quarter nailing a turnaround jumper, but was outscored 8-6 by Leonard between the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Kuminga Plan
Is there one? In this game, with so many implications, Jonathan Kuminga was an afterthought. He started the game staying loose on the stationary bike, and then watched the rest from the bench.
Buddy Hield was the first player off the bench, something that isn’t new or out of the ordinary. But the next player coach Steve Kerr usually points to is Kuminga to replace Butler. It wasn’t. Gary Payton II checked in as Butler took a seat.
Kerr has said recently the three-man combination of Draymond Green, Butler and Kuminga doesn’t work, and the numbers show he’s right. They’ve spent 38 minutes on the floor together over three games and have a minus-24.9 net rating with a 97.5 offensive rating and 122.4 defensive rating. The Warriors coach also said after Golden State’s win in Portland on Friday night that the team’s offense has lacked flow and rhythm the past few weeks.
That just so happens to coincide with Kuminga’s return from a badly sprained ankle. Kuminga’s athleticism is second to none on the Warriors. His impact was loud and obvious when the Warriors beat the Lakers 10 days ago, scoring an efficient 18 points off the bench with nine rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot.
Kuminga theoretically raises the Warriors’ ceiling. Kerr doesn’t care about hypotheticals, only winning basketball on that particular day.
