Warriors get a gift in chase

Under an airbrushed trucker’s hat and thick shades, Baron Davis was ready to party after his Warriors’ superb Sunday on both ends of the Golden State.

Yet the evening’s celebration was strictly for Davis’ 28th birthday. He knows the Warriors’ 12-year playoff drought won’t end without three more days of work -- even after the Clippers handed him quite a gift.

Jason Richardson had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the Warriors took sole possession of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot with a 121-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors (40-40) did it with the Clippers (39-41) falling out of an eighth-place tie with them because of a 105-100 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Though it seemed improbable six weeks ago, the Warriors can end the NBA’s longest current streak out of the playoffs with season-ending wins over Dallas and Portland. The Clippers own the tiebreaker if they finish with the same record.

“We’re in the driver’s seat, and what better position do you want, going into the last two games?” asked Davis, who had 17 points and seven assists.

The Warriors got back to .500 for the first time since Jan. 7 with their seventh victory in eight games, surging back into the playoff race after even Coach Don Nelson deemed it too late.

“We haven’t had the luxury of controlling our own destiny for a while, and that’s why we fought so hard, and have the record that we do down the stretch,” said Nelson, whose Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since the 1993-94 season.

Richardson, a Warrior for six seasons, was beyond excited.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” he said. “This is what our franchise needs. I’m just going to give it everything I’ve got to make sure we get there.”