GRADES: Sixers avoid late-game collapse to defeat Warriors

The Sixers win the first leg of their road trip as they go into Golden State and take down the Warriors in a less-than-star-studded affair.

Philadelphia, missing starters Joel Embiid and Seth Curry, playing Golden State, missing Stephen Curry, looked like the type of inconsistent game that can arise when the steadying forces aren’t available.

The Sixers outlast the Warriors to continue a string of strong performances without Joel Embiid.

From the jump, Golden State struggled facilitating their offense. A Shake Milton floater with 1:36 remaining extended Philadelphia’s lead to 35-11 before mercifully ending 35-17.

The lead grew to 22 points early in the second quarter before a 13-2 run brought them back into the game. The runs continued back and forth with the lead returning to 22 before shrinking to 14, ending the half 59-45.

The third quarter started out evenly with Philadelphia taking a 69-57 lead on a Tony Bradley dunk. From there, Golden State closed the quarter on a 28-11 run led by their backup guards, Damion Lee and Jordan Poole.

After a 40-point third quarter, Golden State’s offense plummeted in the fourth.

Philadelphia eventually took the lead in the game with 5:32 remaining after a 13-7 run to start the quarter. Over the final 5:32, Philadelphia outscored Golden State 15-6 to take the game on the road 108-98.

A headline matchup when all the stars are aligned, turned into a game of inconsistent offense that saw the better team hold on in the end.

33 mins | 18 pts | 11 reb | 0 ast | 2 stl | 2 blk | 1 TO | 8-8 FG | 0-0 3PT| 2-2 FT | 3 PF | +15 |

What a game! Postgame, Tobias Harris received much well-deserved proclaim, but Bradley was the story of the night. Perfect shooting, a double-double, 4 “stocks”. A tremendous game from the youngster starting in place of Embiid and on a night where Dwight Howard struggled. Easily the performance of the night.

36 mins | 25 pts | 13 reb | 4 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 3 TO | 9-18 FG | 1-2 3PT| 6-6 FT | 2 PF | +22 |

Harris is showing that he’s an all-star. There are tons of players in the league with great numbers, but fans would be hard pressed to find someone who fits so well both leading and playing third-fiddle when the team is fully healthy. More importantly than being an all-star, Harris is proving to be a franchise cornerstone.

35 mins | 22 pts | 8 reb | 4 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 7-15 FG | 0-0 3PT| 8-14 FT | 4 PF | +23 |

Simmons didn’t do anything stellar. His defense wasn’t the lock down game we expect, but a lot of that can be attributed to Golden State’s style more than anything. Simmons came out aggressive and played well. He’s an all-star and its starting to look like he’s finally realizing it.

33 mins | 11 pts | 2 reb | 1 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 4-9 FG | 3-8 3PT| 0-0 FT | 2 PF | +25 |

Green, Bradley, etc. playing well right before the trade deadline is great. It is no secret that any big time move for Philadelphia will likely involve Green and his ~$15 million salary. If and until he’s moved, he plays for Philadelphia and tonight he did so effectively to the tune of a team-high +25 +/-.

11 mins | 5 pts | 1 reb | 0 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 2-3 FG | 1-2 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | -11 |

Maxey’s performance needs to be spotlighted. He is a good young player who showed almost immediately he is capable of scoring at the NBA-level. He also played 11 minutes despite Philadelphia being down a starting guard. Maxey is good and Philadelphia is lucky to have him. He also shouldn’t be viewed as unmovable or even a piece GM Daryl Morey is hesitant to include.

On Thursday, Golden State will travel to the state capital as they take on the middling Sacramento Kings while Philadelphia will continue their west coast swing as they head to L.A. to face the Los Angeles Lakers and stay the weekend to face the Los Angeles Clippers.