Embiid, Harden lead Sixers past shorthanded Warriors
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 34 points and 13 rebounds, James Harden added 27 points and nine assists and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the short-handed Golden State Warriors 118-106 on Friday night.
"The main thing is that everybody has bought in," Embiid said. "That's the thing. Everyone knows where they have to go and everyone knows where the ball has to go and everybody knows that the ball can not stick, that it has to be moving around."
Stephen Curry sat out for Golden State two nights after injuring his left shoulder in a loss at Indiana. Draymond Green (right quadriceps contusion) and Andrew Wiggins (strained right adductor) also missed the game, while Klay Thompson played through soreness in his left knee to score 12 points. He was 4 of 17 from the field, missing 10 in a row at one point.
"It was a tough night for Klay," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Just his effort was there, but the shots were not going. Just wasn't his night, but he will bounce back."
Playing without guards Tobias Harris — a late scratch due to a back injury — and Tyrese Maxey (broken left foot), Philadelphia overcame a sluggish start to post its first four-game winning streak of the season.
"I didn't think we played with great life tonight," 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. "But we won the game, so I'll take it."
De'Anthony Melton had 17 points and seven assists for Philadelphia.
Jordan Poole led the defending champion Warriors with 29 points. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17 points in his return to the arena where he played in college at Villanova, and Kevon Looney had 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Golden State dropped to 2-14 on the road and 14-16 overall.
"I thought (Poole) was much better in terms of staying poised," Kerr said. "He did a better job tonight not getting frustrated emotionally, not getting frustrated."
Embiid has scored 30 or more points in six straight games and 11 of 12. After a first half which saw him often flailing and clearly frustrated with five turnovers, Embiid reasserted himself in the third quarter with 12 points and two 3-pointers and the 76ers went from down 57-55 down at halftime to an 88-81 lead.
"We were just trying to be more physical," Embiid said. "They were on fire, hitting some of those shots. There were some lucky bounces and they were making everything. At some point, you knew that they were not going to be able to do that all night. And we knew that we had to be more aggressive, more physical and getting them into foul trouble. And we were able to close off some of those wide-open shots."
TIP-INS
Warriors: Wiggins missed his sixth straight game. He was cleared to return to practice Thursday, but there is no immediate timeframe for him to return to play. "I think there's a chance he could play on Sunday," Kerr said after the game, referring to Golden State's next game in Toronto. "But there hasn't been a decision on that."
76ers: Harris was scratched from the lineup just 20 minutes before tip-off after complaining of back pain. "He was fine at the shootaround this morning, but couldn't get loose tonight," Rivers said. "It's tough because we really were shorthanded in guards.". ... Furkan Korkmaz was inactive with a non-COVID illness.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Toronto on Sunday.
76ers: Hosts Toronto on Monday night.