ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — Two nights after taking care of business against the Mavs, the Golden State Warriors (65-7) were back at home to face the Philadelphia 76ers (9-64) in a matchup of the two most-lopsided winning percentages to face each other in NBA history.
The Warriors were still without Shaun Livingston (rest), Andre Iguodala (ankle), Festus Ezeli (knee), and Kevon Looney (hip).
The Sixers were without Sonny Weems (quad), Joel Embiid (foot), Richaun Holmes (Achilles), Nerlens Noel (knee), and Jahlil Okafor (knee).
1st Quarter – Landry Inspired
The #SplashBrothers opened the game in rhythm as Stephen Curry hit a long two with the foot on the line from the top, assisted by Andrew Bogut, and Klay Thompson drilled a right-wing triple, assisted by Draymond Green.
Harrison Barnes added a left baseline jumper that toilet-bowled in, answered by an Ish Smith catch-and-shoot bomb, but Green got past Jerami Grant, who had airballed earlier, easily and made a righty scoop with no weakside help.
Sixers head coach Brett Brown had seen enough and called a full timeout less than two minutes in, with 10:14 remaining and the Warriors up, 9-5.
After Thompson made an “and-one” offensive rebound and double-clutch bank layup, fouled by Isaiah Canaan, Klay missed twice from inside the arc, ex-Warriors Carl Landry hit three straight buckets, Curry missed an open 27-footer, Robert Covington drilled a three, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took a timeout after Thompson couldn’t corral an offensive rebound.
The Sixers were up, 16-15, with 6:34 to play.
The Warriors made a rare botch of a baseline inbound play out of the timeout, with Barnes’ pass going off of Green’s leg, and Landry and Smith continued their spirited play, with Landry sealing James McAdoo for a nice bucket inside, and Smith crossing Curry at the top for a left-side toss layup, plus a coast-to-coast answer after McAdoo got a nice entry pass from Curry.
Draymond hit two treys to close the gap back to 26-25 with 3:08 to go, but Steph missed his third and fourth tries from beyond the arc, and it wasn’t until Marreese Speights came in for McAdoo and promptly got a putback of a missed Leandro Barbosa layup that the Warriors regained the lead, 27-26.
But Nik Stauskas made an impressive right-side dunk past Brandon Rush, Curry threw a pass too far for Barbosa to catch, and Stauskas drew two foul shots against Barbosa.
Speights got another putback, tipping in a layup miss by Green, Ian Clark blew past Sixers reserve T.J. McConnell for an “and-one”…
Flip it up, flip it in. Let @IanClark begin … pic.twitter.com/2C4Ur7NGJ0
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) March 28, 2016
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…but McConnell came back with 0.2 seconds with a desperation runner over Speights, and the Warriors held a 32-31 lead after one.
Landry and Smith combined for 23 points, while Thompson and Green led the Warriors with 8 points apiece. Curry had 4 assists, but was 1-for-6 from the field.
2nd Quarter – MoBuckets
Speights carried the Warriors at the start of the second quarter, hitting a three, getting an “and-one” on a lefty hook inside…
Mo Buckets is the game's leading scorer with 12 pts against his former squad. He's also got a nice left hand ?? pic.twitter.com/lywuB5p7s4
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 28, 2016
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…and jamming home a dish from Rush. After an airball trey from Christian Wood, Rush brought the ball up, stopped before the arc, and drilled a triple, and Brown called another timeout as Golden State took a 50-40 lead with 7:23 left.
Landry came back in but his jump hook went too hard off glass over Speights, and Speights struck again, catching and swishing a three-ball from the left arc, bringing the house down at #Roaracle:
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Thompson came back in and immediately made the next three Warrior buckets, a left-wing swish, a scooping layup, and another layup.
The Sixers couldn’t answer with as many buckets, and after a Covington right corner three rimmed out, Curry got his first triple of the night on a stepback from the left arc.
Klay scored another two points on a cut fed by Green, Hollis Thompson missed a three, and Curry went past Stauskas for a finger roll off the bank.
Stauskas then made a bad back pass to Landry, Draymond brought the ball up, and found Curry for the catch and quick release from downtown on the right wing, and his triple put the Warriors up, 68-50, with 2:52 remaining:
Catch and shoot on CSNBA! pic.twitter.com/brmVWwPww2
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) March 28, 2016
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The Warriors closed out the quarter with a 71-55 lead heading into halftime as Green got an “and-one” on an attack down the lane…
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…but missed the free throw. Curry attempted a buzzer-beater after McConnell missed a short jumper, but got his three-quarter-court shot deflected by Hollis Thompson:
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Klay led all scorers with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting, Speights tallied 15 points and 6 rebounds, Curry added 11 points and 7 assists, and Green collected 10 points, 4 reobunds, and 5 assists. Landry led the 76ers with 16 points, while Smith added 11 points and 5 assists.
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