RECAP: Golden State Warriors 135, Philadelphia 76ers 114
The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Golden State Warriors 135-114 in the Bay Area on Saturday evening. The Sixers fought hard in the first half before watching the game slip away in the third quarter of this one.
What a great preview of the 2019 and 2020 NBA Finals! No, this is not an exaggeration and may actually be true. The Philadelphia 76ers young core fought hard against the defending champion Golden State Warriors for the duration of this game. Unfortunately, the Sixers just aren’t quite on the level of the Warriors yet, which was on display tonight.
Down by just one point at halftime, this game had the feel of one that may come down to the wire. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid both had extremely quiet first halves and seemed primed to up their play in the second half. The 76ers finally got excellent bench production in the first half as well with , and were shooting the three-ball at a high clip.
However, Simmons and Embiid were really never able to get going, and the Warriors caught fire from three-point land. Nick Young went 3-3 from three in the third quarter alone, en route to his 13 points. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson combined for 74 points on 12 threes, and this one got ugly in a hurry for the Sixers in the second half.
D+. 25 mins | 12 pts | 7 reb | 2 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 7 TO | 4-11 FG | 0-1 3PT| 4-4 FT | 2 PF | -9 +/-| <strong>Summary: </strong>This wasn’t a great performance from Embiid on Saturday. He seemed flustered most of the night in a matchup he should’ve dominated, and was careless with the basketball with 7 turnovers. He did have a monstrous put-back slam right after halftime, and exchanged words with Kevin Durant, resulting in a technical for both players.. C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID
C-. 29 mins | 13 pts | 5 reb | 8 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 4 TO | 6-17 FG | 0-0 3PT| 1-4 FT | 1 PF | -10 +/-| <strong>Summary:</strong> Simmons struggled in this one, just like Embiid. His shots were all heavily contested and he struggled to get many to fall, shown by his 6-17 line from the field. Simmons also struggled at the free throw line mightily, with two of his attempts barely grazing the rim.. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS
A. 14 mins | 8 pts | 6 reb | 1 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 3-4 FG | 2-2 3PT| 0-0 FT | 3 PF | +7 +/-| <strong>Summary:</strong> <a rel=. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. JUSTIN ANDERSON
SF. Philadelphia 76ers. ROBERT COVINGTON. B-. 30 mins | 11 pts | 4 reb | 2 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 4-10 FG | 2-6 3PT| 1-2 FT | 2 PF | -24 +/- <strong>Summary: </strong>Covington was a bright spot again in this one. Although he didn’t produce a huge scoring output, he was a pest on defense per usual. Covington switched on and bothered Kevin Durant and Steph Curry all game long.
B. 27 mins | 14 pts | 3 reb | 3 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 1 TO | 6-11 FG | 2-4 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | -4 +/-| <strong>Summary: </strong><a rel=. PF. Philadelphia 76ers. DARIO SARIC
They’re Still Young
Tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers ran into a well-oiled machine. The Golden State Warriors are extremely consistent with what they do, and prove night-in and night-out why they are the best team in basketball. Things could be different with the 76ers at home against this team on November 18th, but they still have a long way to go.
It is extremely promising to see the 76ers battle and compete the way they did throughout the entirety of the first half. Closing games and battling through scoring runs from elite teams will be an important trait for the Sixers to learn this season as they make a run at the playoffs. However, this will not an easy ability to catch on to whatsoever, and will come with more game experience.
The Philadelphia 76ers drop to 6-6 on the young season with the loss, and will conclude their West Coast road trip in Los Angeles with the Clippers and Lakers next week.
Next: 2018 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0