Camille Naredo

James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on April 11, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Rocky Widner, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP

SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 11: James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on April 11, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE   Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP (Photo by ROCKY WIDNER / NBAE / Getty Images / Getty Images via AFP)

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LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings

Agence France-Presse

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1744600149835AFP__20250412__2209200730__v1__Preview__LaClippersVSacramentoKings.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on April 11, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Rocky Widner, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP"/>James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on April 11, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Rocky Widner, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP</div>LOS ANGELES (UPDATED) -- James Harden scored 39 points as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 124-119 in overtime to clinch the final playoff spot in a thrilling last day of the NBA regular season on Sunday.Harden&#x27;s superb display in San Francisco helped the Clippers bag the fifth seed in the Western Conference and sets up a first-round postseason series with the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets.The 35-year-old Harden&#x27;s points tally included two crucial back-to-back three-pointers in overtime which ultimately proved decisive in a back-and-forth duel that saw the lead change hands 23 times.The defeat for Golden State means the Warriors must now secure their place in the playoffs via the four-team play-in tournament starting this week, hosting Memphis on Tuesday.Harden meanwhile praised the Clippers&#x27; composure in closing out victory in front of the Warriors&#x27; vociferous home support.&quot;We knew it was gonna be a hostile environment, and the main goal was just to win the game,&quot; Harden told ESPN. &quot;Whether it&#x27;s scoring, whether it&#x27;s playmaking...it&#x27;s whatever it takes at this point.&quot;The win was the Clippers&#x27; eighth straight victory to close out the regular season, ensuring they will enter the playoffs as the form team in the Western Conference after a campaign where few gave them much hope.&quot;We know we&#x27;re a good team and we&#x27;re excited to show the world that we&#x27;re a good team,&quot; Harden said.Harden was backed with 33 points from Kawhi Leonard while Ivica Zubac added 22.Stephen Curry led Golden State&#x27;s scoring with 36 points while Jimmy Butler added 30 points.Golden State coach Steve Kerr praised the Clippers performance after a gripping contest.<div> </div><div>- &#x27;Big-time basketball&#x27; -</div><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rQ7ONhFsX2k?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div>&quot;That was a big-time basketball game -- they&#x27;re one of the best teams in the NBA, and so are we,&quot; Kerr said. &quot;It was a great, great game -- high-level stuff, stars being stars. We came up short but not for lack of effort.&quot;There was a lot of great execution, and lot of stuff that was very impressive. But we couldn&#x27;t quite pull it off.&quot;In other games on Sunday, Denver clinched the fourth seed in the West with a 126-111 victory over the second-seeded Houston Rockets.The win capped a tumultuous week for the Nuggets, who fired head coach Michael Malone on Tuesday with the playoffs beckoning in a move that stunned the NBA.Denver were always in control of Sunday&#x27;s clash, leading by as many as 36 points in the fourth quarter after taking the lead midway through the first period.Denver&#x27;s interim coach David Adelman reserved praise for Serbian star Nikola Jokic, who finished a regular season campaign in which he averaged a triple double with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.&quot;I&#x27;ve been around special players, I&#x27;ve never seen any player like him,&quot; Adelman said.&quot;The work he puts in away from it. Just how systematic he is, professional, no wasted steps. He is absolutely the most impressive basketball player I&#x27;ve ever seen.&quot;The Minnesota Timberwolves meanwhile snaffled sixth place in the West -- the final automatic playoff berth -- with a 116-105 defeat of the Utah Jazz.Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch paid tribute to his team&#x27;s effort in muscling their way into the playoffs.&quot;I&#x27;m super proud of their body of work this year,&quot; Finch said. &quot;We didn&#x27;t make a big trade in the middle of the season to sort thing out, or fire coaches to try to sort things out -- they sorted it out themselves. Those guys made the right adjustments and sacrifices and figured who they needed to be as a team. All credit to them.&quot;The win means the Timberwolves will face the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

James Harden scored 39 points as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 124-119 in overtime to clinch the final playoff spot in a thrilling last day of the NBA regular season on Sunday.

James Harden scored 39 points as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 124-119 in overtime to clinch the final playoff spot in a thrilling last day of the NBA regular season on Sunday.

NBA: Harden bags 39 as Clippers edge Warriors to clinch play-off spot

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NBA: Harden bags 39 as Clippers edge Warriors to clinch play-off spot

Agence France-Presse

Published April 14, 2025 07:49 AM PHT

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Updated April 14, 2025 11:10 AM PHT

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