A picturesque performance from one of the most elegant to ever do it helped propel the Golden State Warriors ahead of the Sixers as Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons were out for the home squad.
Stephen Curry was phenomenal and there will be more on him, but it was Seth Curry who got the game going as he scored seven points for Philadelphia as they jumped out to an early 12-0 lead.
From there, Golden State began clawing back with a Steph Curry, contested three fell over his brother to even the first quarter 24-24. For Curry, the shot gave him his third three-pointer and 11 points in the quarter.
The second quarter was a rather even affair with the largest lead blossoming to six points before coming even at 55 as the teams entered the locker room. Joel Embiid and Seth Curry carried much of the load for Philadelphia as the quarter played on and the duo continue to develop their two-man game.
Coming out of half, the teams struggled to keep the energy heading in. Philadelphia only mustered 15 points in the quarter while Golden State scored 20, on only one Curry three-pointer… bringing him to five made threes through three quarters.
The fourth quarter started out slowly with the reserves on the court. Tyrese Maxey and newcomer George Hill scored eight of Philadelphia’s first 12 points in the quarter. Philadelphia led 82-81 as Steph Curry and Embiid entered the game.
Despite coming only two assists shy of a triple-double, MVP-candidate, Embiid was out done by a masterclass performance from Steph Curry.
Curry would go on to score 20 points on five made three-pointers ending with 49 on the game. The numbers are otherworldly, and yet those who missed the performance will struggle to appreciate the artistry.
Embiid struggled some down the stretch, but it didn’t really matter. Three is greater than two and there was nearly nothing outside of an eye scratch stopping Steph Curry. Golden state ultimately pulled away as a 10-0 gave them a nine-point lead and after a Shake Milton three-pointer, Steph Curry immediately answered back with his own. From there, the clock dwindled, and Steph Curry scored with the game ending 107-96.
Grades from the Sixers’ home loss to Golden State on the back of Stephen Curry’s 49-point explosion.
32 mins | 28 pts | 13 reb | 8 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 4 TO | 8-21 FG | 1-3 3PT| 11-14 FT | 3 PF | -6 |
Embiid is approaching the territory where he’s getting fouled and it isn’t being called because it would be too awful to call so many fouls. Tonight, wasn’t perfect, but he dueled to the end and approached a 30-point triple-double. It isn’t his fault that Steph Curry decided to go supernova in the fourth.
35 mins | 15 pts | 0 reb | 5 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 6-15 FG | 3-7 3PT| 0-0 FT | 3 PF | -4 |
Curry wasn’t perfect. Philadelphia really would have liked to have that win. That said, playoffs matter more and Curry showed a competitiveness defensively (even if not the results) that was excellent to see. That effort will be crucial down the stretch.
33 mins | 12 pts | 7 reb | 2 ast | 3 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 4-8 FG | 4-7 3PT| 0-0 FT | 4 PF | -3 |
Green filled his role proficiently by increasing his rebounding effort and stepping up his still strong defense while knocking down his opportunities. In terms of filling his role, Green did so and then some tonight.
31 mins | 13 pts | 7 reb | 1 ast | 3 stl | 1 blk | 0 TO | 6-11 FG | 1-4 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | -17 |
Thybulle earns a “+” because he is phenomenal on defense. Three steals and a block as he molds himself into a future DPOY candidate if he can make his shots. Steph Curry transcended defense on this given night. That is easily forgiven and no one thinks any less of Thybulle’s ability to defend. The problem for Thybulle is that if he can’t make those stops, then Green or Milton are better options.
14 mins | 0 pts | 0 reb | 0 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 0-1 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | +11 |
Mike Scott ended the game with the highest +/- for Philadelphia. An indictment on the statistic. Scott is capable of spreading the floor while theoretically providing size. The problem is that the size doesn’t match the defense or rebounding. He plays somewhat often and sometimes for stretches… that can’t happen in the playoffs.
Golden State will continue their east coast swing as they travel to Washington to take on the Wizards while Philadelphia hosts the highly competitive Phoenix Suns as they aim to keep their lead in the Eastern Conference.