Well, they did it. The Golden State Warriors saved their best for last, ending a three-month run of uninteresting play, and emerging from their first play-in tournament game with one of their most entertaining games of the season.

More importantly, they emerged with a win. The Warriors ended the season leaking oil, and faced off in the first round of the play-in tournament against an LA Clippers team that had some tangible momentum. On top of that, the game was in Los Angeles.

No matter. The Warriors used multiple double-digit comebacks — including one in the fourth quarter — to beat the Clippers 126-121, and advance to the second round of the play-in tournament, where a spot in the NBA Playoffs will be on the line.

That’s a worry for another day, though. Friday, specifically. For today, we judge the players who took the court and pulled off the epic victory. And to do that, we assign grades. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. This year, league-average TS was 58.1%.

32 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, 2 fouls, 9-for-13 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 76.9% TS, +16

We saw a lot of the good and the bad with Santos in this game. There was a reason he got the start, and there was a reason he was the lone player to get subbed out of the game less than three minutes in, with the Warriors already down double digits. There was a reason he came back in not long after that. He had the most turnovers on the team, but also the best plus/minus. He had some of the biggest, most clutch shots, and some of the most back-breaking turnovers.

And yet, as is almost always the case with Santos, the good far outweighed the bad, and it’s hard — virtually impossible — to envision the Warriors winning the game without his contributions.

If you’re frustrated by the difficult moments, just remember that Santos is a 23-year old who entered this year having played in just 79 NBA games … and averaging just 12.1 minutes in those games. This is his first year with a significant role in the NBA. There will be bumps, and times where the game moves a little too fast for him.

But the good was mesmerizing. His footwork broke down Clippers defenders time and time again. His cuts were perfectly timed. And he created chaos with his defense and rebounding. It’s easy to see why Steve Kerr loves him.

He probably gets a B+ if this is a regular season game. But it wasn’t.

Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

35 minutes, 7 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-for-5 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 70.0% TS, 0 +/-

On Tuesday, I wrote an article listing a few ways that the Warriors could pull off the upset. Here’s a snippet from that article:

The Klaw has scored 40 or more points on five occasions this season, and the Clippers have amassed five blowout victories in those games. He’s been held to 20 points or fewer just seven times, and LA has gone a lowly 1-6 in those contests, including an October loss to the Warriors.

If there’s one thing the Warriors should be focused on, it’s limiting Leonard. And if there’s one person who is up for that job, it’s Draymond Green.

Kawhi Leonard entered the fourth quarter with 19 points. And he was stuck on that number until the final seconds, when he finally made a layup, but only because the Warriors were playing no-threes defense. Those were his only points of the quarter.

He was utterly and entirely shut down by Green in the quarter (and really all game … almost all of Leonard’s damage came against other defenders). It was, quite simply, one of the best individual defensive performances in the NBA this season. And as he so often does, Green turned it on when it mattered most. Not only was his fourth quarter truly special, but Dray forced not one, but two turnovers by Leonard in the final minute, when the game was still very much up for grabs. For as special as Steph Curry’s offense was, Green’s defense was equally memorable.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.

28 minutes, 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 8-for-12 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, 1-for-3 free throws, 75.1% TS, -4

There are a lot of questions that the Warriors have to ask about Porziņģis when the offseason starts, which it notably did not due on Wednesday. The two biggest ones are: how healthy can he be going forward, and how much money will he command in free agency?

But, critically, there are also a few questions that the Warriors don’t have to ask about Porziņģis. Namely: how good is he, and how well does he fit on the team?

Porziņģis looked like his All-Star self in this game. He had numerous highlight defensive plays, single-handedly ending multiple Clippers possessions that looked like easy buckets. He was a walking bucket, scoring from all over the court, largely within the system but also taking matters into his own hands when it was needed. And he had some passes that made your eyes pop wide open.

It was a complete — and completely excellent — performance. And it left no doubt as to whether or not the Warriors will make re-signing Porziņģis a priority this coming offseason.

Grade: A+

41 minutes, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 2-for-7 threes, 5-for-8 free throws, 58.5% TS, +10

Don’t let the ridiculous narratives surrounding the Warriors and their (lack of) two timelines keep you from appreciating what’s in front of your face. Podziemski and Santos were a reminder that the Warriors young players can be the perfect complements to the Hall of Fame-bound core.

Podz did a little bit of everything in this game. His defense and the way he free safetied himself towards every loose ball were game changers. He drew multiple charges late (and took his fair share of damage in the process), and was tied with Leonard for the second-most rebounds of any player in the game.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Podziemski’s offense was also more efficient than it looks on paper, as a good chunk of his shots were late in the clock when he had to force something up.

But the biggest thing that Podz did was keep the energy level dialed up. He started the game with endless energy. When the Warriors fell behind by double digits in the first quarter, he maintained that endless energy. When they fell behind by double digits in the third quarter, he maintained that endless energy. When they fell behind by double digits in the fourth quarter, he maintained that endless energy.

And it all played out with one of the biggest shots of the night, when he took a Green steal inside the final minute, and turned it into a beat-everyone-down-the-court transition and-one layup.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

36 minutes, 35 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 12-for-23 shooting, 7-for-12 threes, 4-for-5 free throws, 69.4% TS, +9

I have no words. I really just have no words. Curry was the best player on the court, and if you want to know why they won — and why they’ll have a good chance on Friday — look no further than that point right there.

Curry took his time to get going. He had just three points in the first quarter, and an inefficient eight points in the first half. But the world was his (and Draymond’s) in the second half, and we were all just living in it. The Clippers very much included.

Steph had 16 third-quarter points, and he was just getting started. It was big shot after big shot after big shot, each bucket seeming to give the Warriors a lifeline when they were on the verge of losing. His biggest shot? A 29-foot step-back three that broke a tie with just 50 seconds remaining. In total, the Warriors — who won by five points — outscored the Clippers by 15 in the fourth quarter minutes that Curry played.

Curry didn’t just lead the Warriors to victory on Wednesday. He reminded you that, even in what has been a miserable season, there are 30 reasons to be happy that the season lives to see another game.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

24 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 2-for-3 free throws, 56.4% TS, +8

Payton was more impactful than his numbers would suggest. He helped Golden State’s defense swarm the perimeter, which forced LA into countless chaotic offensive possessions. And he sure made the most out the points that he did score.

GPII is another one of those players who feels more important the bigger the game is. He can change a game with his defense, and he’s never going to make the mistakes the give the game away.

Grade: A-

23 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 3-for-7 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 47.0% TS, -7

Not Melton’s best game, but with Curry playing as well as he did, the Warriors didn’t really need it to be Melton’s best game. The important thing is that he kept the team afloat, and kept the offense moving when Curry was on the bench. The Dubs don’t fall apart when Curry is resting, and Melton is the biggest reason why.

Grade: C+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.

22 minutes, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 5-for-8 shooting, 4-for-7 threes, 87.5% TS, -7

I don’t know if Horford will be back next year or not. He has a player option for $6 million which the Warriors would likely be thrilled if he opted into, but perhaps retirement — or free agency — will come calling.

Either way, this is a game that will cement his legacy with the team, because it really was an unforgettable performance. Just past the midway point in the fourth quarter, with the Clippers slipping away, Horford made threes on three consecutive possessions to pull the Warriors back to within two points. He added another three a few possessions later, giving Golden State their first lead of the quarter with 2:12 remaining. And then he buckled in and played outstanding defense for the final minutes.

You can say this about a lot of players, but the Warriors don’t win on Wednesday if not for Horford. We won’t forget that performance anytime soon.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.

Wednesday’s DNP-CDs: Charles Bassey, Seth Curry, Will Richard, Pat Spencer

Wednesday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Quinten Post