The Golden State Warriors kept their teetering season alive by stunning the LA Clippers 126-121 in a dramatic NBA play-in tournament elimination game on Wednesday night. The Warriors, seeded 10th, overcame a significant deficit, trailing by as many as 13 points with under 10 minutes left in the contest at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

During the third quarter, an unexpected interruption occurred when referee Ben Taylor, an 11-year NBA veteran, exited the court due to an injury with 8:51 remaining. He was subsequently replaced by alternate referee Sean Corbin, who is in his 31st season, a standard procedure for postseason games to ensure continuity.

The ninth-seeded Clippers had established a comfortable 61-53 lead over the Warriors by halftime. However, Golden State's resilience, driven by vintage performances from long-time stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, ignited a fierce comeback in the game's decisive moments.

Stephen Curry, whose right knee injury had forced him to miss 27 consecutive games and even led him to contemplate shutting down his season, delivered a game-high 35 points. He scored 11 of those points in the final 9:27, including a crucial deep three-pointer in the last minute that propelled the Warriors into the lead. Warriors coach Steve Kerr emphatically praised Curry's determination, stating, "This is why Steph came back. Everyone out there who thought Steph should take the rest of the year off -- this is what he does. This is who he is." The team's record had significantly declined to 9-18 during Curry's absence, dropping them to the bottom of the Western Conference play-in bracket.

Draymond Green showcased his Hall of Fame-caliber defense, specifically targeting Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. Following a strategic decision by Warriors coaches based on a prior successful defensive outing, Green was assigned as Leonard's primary defender. This tactic proved highly effective, limiting Leonard to a modest 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Notably, Leonard attempted only two shots in the fourth quarter, neither of which came when Green was guarding him. According to Genius IQ, Green defended Leonard for 12 half-court possessions in the fourth quarter without allowing a single shot, marking a record since Leonard joined the Clippers in 2019. Green further sealed the victory with two pivotal steals in the final 49 seconds. After Curry's go-ahead three, Green denied Leonard on the ensuing inbound pass and then stripped Leonard's dribble clean on a later possession, leading to a scramble that secured the win. A defiant Green, 36, remarked post-game, "The people who say I've lost a step say I never had a stop."

Other critical contributions to the Warriors' come-from-behind win included Kristaps Porzingis's timely and-1 floater and transition three-pointer, as well as soon-to-be 40-year-old Al Horford's four impactful fourth-quarter three-pointers. Coach Kerr celebrated the team's display of "guts and competitiveness and connection," calling it one of his favorite wins in his decade-plus tenure despite the team's aging core, injuries to key players like Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody, and a season marred by their second-fewest wins. Kerr highlighted the significance of the victory under challenging circumstances, affirming, "There's a reason we have four championships... this is right up there... It was just a beautiful display of competitive will."

The hard-fought triumph means the Warriors will now travel to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in another elimination game. The winner of that matchup will clinch the 8-seed in the Western Conference and secure a first-round date with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.