Warriors instant analysis: Without Curry, shorthanded Golden State falls to 76ers before trade deadline
SAN FRANCISCO – Playing their final game before the trade deadline, with seemingly half of the roster involved in trade discussions or rumored swaps, the Warriors put that aside to focus on their game against the visiting 76ers at Chase Center on Tuesday.
In what could have been his last game with the Warriors, Draymond Green scored six and grabbed seven rebounds as Golden State lost 113-94.
Pat Spencer scored 13 while De’Anthony Melton and Quinten Post each scored exactly 10 apiece off the bench for Golden State, while Gui Santos (13) and Moses Moody (12) joined them in double figures. VJ Edgecombe scored a game-high 25 points as eight 76ers scored in double figures.
Steph Curry was out with a sore knee, and Kerr said that his status remains day-to-day. Joining him on the injury report was Jonathan Kuminga, who has missed the past five games with a bone bruise on his right knee.
Kerr threw out a reworked starting lineup of Gui Santos, Green, Moses Moody and Al Horford and guard Brandin Podziemski. For a while, they remained within striking distance of a Sixers team that was missing Joel Embiid (injury management) and Paul George (suspended for drug use).
After falling behind by as many as 53-38 in the second quarter, Buddy Hield led a surge that saw the Warriors trail just 58-57 at halftime. But even missing their two best players, the Sixers had just a little too much firepower for the Warriors sans Curry, and pulled away for the victory.
The Warriors (27-24) will play at Phoenix on Thursday.
Three-ball is the equalizer … for a while
Even though Curry missed the game, the long ball was a major part of the Warriors’ strategy against the 76ers. Of their 20 first quarter shots, 15 of the Warriors’ attempts were from behind the arc.
They made eight of those, helping Golden State get out to a 32-31 lead. In the second quarter, the volume took a dip as the team made just 3 of 8 from behind the line. The team further cooled off in the second half, finishing the third quarter 4 of 14 from long range.
The Warriors concluded the night just 19 of 48 from 3-point territory.
Bahamian bucket-getters
Tuesday’s matchup saw the present and future of Bahamas basketball face off for the second time this season. Buddy Hield, the elder statesman of the national team, came off the bench to score nine points, showing off a few nice dribble-drive moves despite being known exclusively as a shooter.
Maybe he had to show off against his protege Edgecombe, the rookie with limitless athleticism and All-Star potential. The first-year guard out of Baylor scored 25 points, taking a page out of Hield’s book by hitting several pullup jumpers over contests.
“I knew that once he got to the NBA, once he got that space and was surrounded by great players, he was going to be just fine,” Hield told the Bay Area News Group in December.
Late bus for 76ers
With the Pro Bowl taking place at Moscone Center, Super Bowl week traffic spared no one: not San Franciscans, East Bay natives trying to get home, or visiting NBA teams from the East Coast.
The 76ers’ second bus arrived at Chase Center only 75 minutes before tipoff, the vehicle among the many snarled in Super bowl traffic. After finally arriving at the arena, 76ers coach Nick Nurse did not make excuses.
“There’s always a rundown of things we’re going through so I did some of that on the bus. I didn’t get to go to my office first, I had to come straight here,” Nurse said pregame. “There’s another big change and that’s about it. Big deal, I’ve been through this a hundred times myself so hopefully the players will handle it.”