The Sixer Sense
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Sixers will face toughest test yet against the Golden State Warriors

By Christopher Kline

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 8: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors handles the ball before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 8, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 8: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors handles the ball before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 8, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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With a five-game win streak sandwiched between some disappointing losses, the 6-5 Philadelphia 76ers will need to show their mettle against the Golden State Warriors.

The Philadelphia 76ers, all things considered, have been really good this year. They chugged through a tough early stretch before capitalizing on an easier five-game stretch in which they won all their games. That was followed by a tough loss in Sacramento, though, where foul trouble and youthful mistakes did them in late.

6-5 is a strong start for a team as young as Philadelphia — and that goes without mentioning the new faces and moving parts. Ben Simmons is already better than expected, while Joel Embiid remains one of the league’s best two-way forces underneath. Robert Covington and J.J. Redick have balled out, to boot.

As the Sixers find their groove and establish themselves as legit playoff contenders in the East, they’ll face their toughest stint yet over the next week or so. They’ll face the Golden State Warriors twice, with their first bout going down tonight — Saturday, Nov. 11 — in the Bay.

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I’ll make one important disclaimer here: Nobody should expect the Sixers to win. They’ve competed well with good teams this year, but the Warriors are expecting the return of Kevin Durant and have found their groove lately. Nobody is as good as a Warriors team that has found it’s groove.

With that said, this game can be used as a measuring stick for a young team of the Sixers’ ilk. We’re still trying to gauge just how good they are, and a competitive performance against Golden State — or an utter annihilation — could help us do that.

The Warriors will test the Sixers in just about every facet, as they do every team. They’ll stress Embiid’s defense underneath, force Simmons and Covington to step up their switch-heavy brigade on the perimeter and they slap the Sixers with the best defense they’ve faced to date on the other end.

We’ll see how Simmons handles different looks from a myriad of elite defenders, while Embiid will need to live up to the trash talk he has already thrown Draymond Green‘s way. Golden State will also be much more effective in limiting the clean looks for Covington and Redick on the perimeter, something that could throw a wrench into Brett Brown’s offense.

Next: Ranking the importance of every Sixers player

There’s a lot worth watching tonight, and even if it ends in a seemingly inevitable loss, we’ll see how the Sixers’ talented young guns stack up against the best of the best. The Sixers’ end goal is to compete for a championship, and that means you need to learn how to beat the champions first.