The Clippers had this game.

Up double digits in the fourth, Kawhi on the floor, everything trending the way it was supposed to. Golden State looked like a team just trying to survive long enough to make it interesting.

Then Steph Curry happened.

By the time it was over, the Warriors had a 126-121 win, and Curry had dropped 35 with seven threes, including the one that broke it open late. Twenty-seven of those came in the second half.

Same story, different night.

Game’s hanging in the balance, and Steph decides it’s his.

When The Game Starts Tilting His Way

The wild part with Curry now is that stat lines that should still make people stop and stare somehow don’t even feel that shocking anymore.

Seven for 12 from deep? For almost anybody else, that’s the kind of shooting night people talk about for weeks. With Steph, it almost gets filed away as, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

That’s how absurd his standard has become.

But even by his standards, this one had some extra bite to it because of the way it unfolded. He had just eight points in the first half. The Clippers were up nine at halftime. They pushed that lead to 13 in the fourth quarter. Golden State looked like they were running out of season.

Then Curry ripped the game open.

He scored 16 points in a six-minute burst in the third quarter just to keep the Warriors alive. By the time the fourth quarter got tight, you could tell where this one was headed.

That’s the thing with him — he changes how a game feels. A 10-point deficit doesn’t feel like 10. A rough first half doesn’t ever decide anything. One defensive slip turns into two, then three. And every clean look he gets feels like it’s going in. There aren’t many players who can swing the mood of a building like that. Curry still does it as well as anyone.

The Play-In Has Become His Personal Stage

What makes this even better is that it fits perfectly into the very short — but already ridiculous — history Curry has built in play-in games.

The play-in still feels new. Nobody’s stacking up 20-game samples here. But in the handful of chances he’s had, Curry has treated it like a personal challenge.

It started in 2021 — 37 against the Lakers in a game Golden State had no business being in that late, then 39 two nights later against Memphis while playing nearly the entire game.

Two years ago against Sacramento is the only one where he didn't go crazy, and that got away from them before he ever had a real chance to settle into it. Every other time? Same script. Big number, big usage, everything running through him.

The Numbers Start Getting Stupid

He’s now played five play-in games.

170 total points. About 34 a night.

Four of the five over 30. Multiple games pushing 40. Nearly six made threes per game.

And it’s not just volume, either. He’s been insanely efficient doing it — hovering around 70 true shooting percentage, which is ridiculous when you factor in the degree of difficulty and the fact that defenses are built entirely around stopping him in these spots.

So when people say he finds another gear in these games, it’s not hype. It’s just reality at this point.

This Is Why The Warriors Still Feel Dangerous

Golden State still has to go beat Phoenix on Friday to get the No. 8 seed. That part doesn’t get easier. This win didn’t fix everything. They’re still flawed. They’re still older. And for most of this season, they’ve looked a little too shaky to fully buy into.

But this is the problem with writing teams early when Steph's involved. We did it last year with the No. 2-seed Rockets, and look how that turned out.

As long as he’s out there, it never really feels over.

Coming off an injury? Didn’t matter. Down 13 in the fourth? Didn’t matter. Clippers up with Kawhi on the floor? Still didn’t matter.

This isn’t normal. It just feels normal because it’s him.

Now it's Phoenix's problem to deal with.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com.