Stephen Curry expects ‘Game 7 kind of vibe’ as Warriors, Clippers meet in NBA regular-season finale
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Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry attempts a shot as the Portland Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton tries to stop him on April 11.
PHOTO: AFP
SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is expecting a “Game 7 kind of vibe” when the seven-time NBA (National Basketball Association) champions host the Los Angeles Clippers on April 13 (April 14, Singapore time), the final day of the NBA regular season.
With a 103-86 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on April 11, the Warriors got the victory they needed, but the job is not done yet.
The Warriors (48-33) are sixth in the standings but are tied with the seventh-placed Minnesota Timberwolves. They will need to beat the fifth-placed Clippers at Chase Centre next to secure the sixth seeding and avoid dropping into the play-in tournament.
“I don’t want to be too dramatic,” Curry said of the showdown with the Clippers. “It should be like a Game 7 kind of vibe. You win and you control your destiny on a guaranteed play-off series.
“If you lose, you roll the dice. Good teams find a way to win big games like that, and that’s what we’re aiming to be.”
Curry, who registered 14 points, five rebounds and five assists against the Trail Blazers, aggravated his right thumb injury and did not play in the fourth quarter, but said he will be available for the Clippers game.
Jimmy Butler led the scoring with 24 points, while Buddy Hield finished with 16 points off the bench for the Warriors. Jabari Walker led the Blazers with 19 off the bench. The 86-point tally was a season low for Portland (35-46).
Though the Warriors lost all three of their meetings against the Clippers this season, forward Draymond Green believes they have become a “new team” since the trade-deadline addition of Butler.
Anticipating a “super intense” game against the Clippers, he said: “Two teams fighting for their play-off lives. I expect it to be a very physical, high-intelligence, high-level basketball game.
“It’s always fun going up against a Ty Lue-coached team. Kawhi Leonard is a great player. We’ve had our battles with James Harden.
“That team is playing really good basketball, so we have to make sure we bring our ‘A’ game.”
On April 11, the Clippers extended their winning streak to seven games with a 101-100 victory over hosts Sacramento Kings, with Harden notching his third triple-double of the season and Leonard racking up 28 points.
Harden, who had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, was hard on himself after missing two free throws in the last 1min 4sec and committed the potential game-losing turnover with just three seconds left. Luckily for him, Kings star DeMar DeRozan missed the resulting three-point attempt.
After the game, Harden said: “That’s on me. I had too many turnovers. Two missed free throws... I have to be better... I’m just happy we came away with the win.”
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic recorded 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, as the Los Angeles Lakers clinched the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed with a 140-109 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets.
LeBron James had 14 points and eight assists in 22 minutes before sitting out the final 19min 27sec with an apparent injury. Austin Reaves contributed 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists. REUTERS
