Warriors finish regular season with loss to future play-in opponent Clippers

Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News on Apr 12, 2026

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors ended their 2025-26 regular season on a high note.

Not because of their result at the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, a 115-110 loss, but because the Warriors finished the ultimately meaningless game with no new injuries, which is all coach Steve Kerr wanted to see.

The Warriors were locked into the No. 10 seed, win or lose. A loss at Intuit Dome ended up having no impact on whether they would play those same Clippers in the play-in tournament, as Portland’s win over Sacramento clinched the No. 8 seed for the Trail Blazers and kept LA at No. 9.

Kerr also said the Warriors were not interested in showing up strategic wrinkles, instead hoping to get Steph Curry around 30 minutes while trying out different lineups.

The Warriors started Curry, who scored 24 points in 29 minutes. He lined up with Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Brandin Podziemski. No starter surpassed 30 minutes.

Porzingis scored 12 and Podziemski scored 10, while reserve center Charles Bassey continued to impress by putting in 16 points in only 18 minutes off the bench.

The Warriors finished the regular season 38-44 and the Clippers concluded theirs 41-41.

Podziemski gave the Warriors a brief injury scare when he went down in the first quarter. A Clipper kneed him in the left thigh. Podziemski eventually stretched it out on the bench by standing in the tunnel behind the bench and returned in the second quarter.

The Clippers, sitting Kawhi Leonard, seemed resigned to being stuck in the No. 9 seed. Los Angeles needed to both win, and for the Blazers to lose to the Kings on Sunday night, to move up, but Portland won 122-110 over Sacramento.

Now, the Warriors will remain in Los Angeles for the next three days as they prepare for Wednesday’s win-or-go-home play-in game.

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