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Referee leaves Warriors-Clippers game after suffering injury

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Abdullah Imran, ClutchPoints | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 8:23 AM ET

Referee Ben Taylor exited Wednesday night’s Play-In Tournament matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome after suffering an apparent injury during the third quarter. The incident occurred with 8:51 remaining in the period, when Taylor walked off the floor with a noticeable limp and headed to the locker room for evaluation, leading to a temporary pause in play.

Taylor, an 11-year NBA official who became full-time in 2013, has worked 31 playoff games and previously officiated in both the NBA G League and FIBA competitions. His departure required immediate action from alternate official Sean Corbin, a veteran in his 31st season, who was assigned as the standby referee. The NBA designates a fourth official for all postseason games specifically to handle such situations. Corbin joined the on-court crew alongside James Williams and Karl Lane and remained for the rest of the contest.

At the time of the injury, the ninth-seeded Clippers led the 10th-seeded Warriors 61-53 at halftime in the elimination game. However, the contest shifted dramatically in the second half.

NBA ref Ben Taylor has left the game due to an injury. pic.twitter.com/WogZkFUA7y

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) April 16, 2026

Stephen Curry scored 35 points, including 27 after halftime, and hit seven 3-pointers, with his final triple breaking a tie with 50.4 seconds left. Golden State erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit, closing the game on a 16-6 run to secure a 126-121 win. Al Horford contributed four 3-pointers, including three late in the fourth quarter, while Kristaps Porzingis finished with 20 points.

Bennedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23 points, while Darius Garland contributed 21 points and eight assists.

As a result of the victory, Golden State will meet the Phoenix Suns in the next play-in game, while the Clippers were eliminated, ending their playoff run and missing the postseason for the first time since 2022.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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