Kevin Durant leads the way with 29 points after missing one game with a leg injury as Warriors defeat 76ers 135-114.
Sixth straight blowout win features another big third-quarter surge
OAKLAND >> The jawing went back and forth, as Warriors forward Kevin Durant and Sixers center Joel Embiid exchanged words. It became significant enough for the referees to call double technicals, but it turns out the incident served a larger purpose.
“He talks a lot of (trash),” Durant said. “I needed some energy. I knew if I threw a couple of words at him, it would hype me up.”
And apparently that’s all Durant needed in his return in the Warriors 135-114 win over the Philadephia 76ers on Saturday at Oracle Arena.
Durant posted 29 points, while shooting 11 of 18 from the field, 3 of 6 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the foul line after missing Wednesday’s game against Minnesota with a left thigh contusion.
“I don’t understand why that is a double technical,” said Warriors forward Draymond Green, who had 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks. “It’s basketball. I think the fans love to see that.”
The fans loved to see the Warriors (10-3) collect their sixth consecutive win, but it had more to do with Durant’s efficiency or trash talking.
Despite suffering a right thigh contusion that could limit him in future games, Warriors guard Stephen Curry had 22 points and nine assists, while Klay Thompson had 23 points.
“When you have pain, you pick and choose your spots,” Curry said. “You don’t want o lose a step on the defensive end. Keep yourself moving and stay as active as possible. If you slow down at all, that’s where it gets worse.”
It could have gotten worse for the Warriors.
The Warriors held only a 65-64 halftime lead after allowing Philadelphia (6-6) to score 16 points off of their 13 turnovers. The Six-
ers also held a significant discrepancy in shot attempts (52-41).
That all changed in the third quarter.
The Warriors shot 14 of 25 from the field and 6 of 14 from 3-point range, while holding Philadelphia to a 7-of-21 mark. The Warriors also committed only two more turnovers. In related news, the Warriors went on secured a 94-78 lead with 2:36 left in the third quarter after going on a 20-4 run. After posting a combined 80 points in their past two third quarters, the Warriors never looked back.
“I’d like to be a first half team too,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Teams come after us early. Everybody wants to knock us down. The come out with a ton of energy and overplay things. We’re pretty careless with the ball. Then it seems like things settle down.”
As he reflected on Curry, Kerr marveled about all the qualities that make his star player unique.
Very little of it had to do with Curry’s basketball skills. Most of it had to do with what Curry wrote for The Players’ Tribune. In honor of Veterans Day, Curry called on people from all races and political backgrounds to focus more on what can be done to help veterans than to argue about athletes that protest racial inequality during the national anthem.
“I thought it was beautiful. I thought it hit the nail on the head,” Kerr said. “Anybody who believes that people are being disrespectful to the military by kneeling has it wrong. It’s the whole point; it’s peaceful protest. The military is responsible for giving Americans the right to free speech. That’s the beauty of our country. On Veterans Day, I thought it was a perfect way to celebrate our veterans both past and present. I thought Steph really verbalized it beautifully. It was very well done. I’m very proud of him.”
Curry caught some attention for missing the national anthem. As Curry explained, “nature called pregame.” It seemed like a fitting metaphor, as Curry has hoped the public would focus more on what athletes are protesting.
“The conversation is around how we can help people and how we can change our society for the better,” Curry said. “Not so much who said what and who did what and who tweeted what.”
• Before tipoff, former Warrior James Michael McAdoo took a 47-foot walk to receive his 2017 championship ring from Warriors assistant Ron Adams.
However, his journey to get to Oakland Saturday night was a bit more strenuous. In order to make the game, McAdoo, now a member of the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers G-League affiliate, took a predawn flight from Sioux Falls, where the 87ers played Friday night.
“I’m going to sleep good tonight,” McAdoo admitted pregame.
McAdoo has shared a similar journey through his NBA career. The Warriors signed the North Carolina prospect after he went undrafted in the 2014 draft, and McAdoo split time between the Warriors and their G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz through the majority of his first season. McAdoo then played as a key role player during the Warriors’ 73-win season (2015-16) and championship run (2017).
“I’m thrilled that he’s here,” Kerr said. “I thought it was a great gesture by the Sixers to make sure he was here.” Staff writer Logan Murdock contributed to this report.