PHILADELPHIA — Steph Curry did his greatest to will a comeback win, however the Warriors have been too thinned out by Jimmy Butler’s absence to choose him up.
Butler missed his first recreation as Warrior with again spasms, and the Warriors felt the ache. Golden State gained Curry’s minutes by 12 in a seven-point loss.
Curry completed with 29 factors and a season-high 13 assists, however Sixers guard Quentin Grimes outshined him with a career-best 44 factors on scorching 18-for-24 taking pictures. The Warriors (32-18) tied the sport up late within the fourth after trailing nearly your entire evening, however couldn’t recover from the hump in a 126-119.
The 76ers, who had misplaced 9 straight video games getting into Saturday evening, shot 19-for-33 from deep and acquired excellent performances from Kelly Oubre Jr. and Guerschon Yabusele past Grimes’ profession evening.
The Warriors’ season flipped after they traded for Butler. They’d gone by a 7-17 stretch, then all of the sudden felt like they might stroll into any area and win. Shedding him for a recreation was a take a look at case to see if the vibes they’ve constructed with him may persist by an absence.
Vibes are simpler to return by when Curry’s taking part in like he’s.
A big Warriors fan contingent in Wells Fargo Heart oohed and aahed as Curry pulled up from the emblem for his third 3-pointer of the primary quarter. The Warriors initially seemed unsettled, with three turnovers within the first 4 minutes, however Curry took management.
Recent off his 56-point avalanche in Orlando, Curry collected 12 factors and 4 assists within the opening interval. When Philadelphia overextended to attempt to bottle him, he dished to open teammates.
Quinten Submit, inserted into the beginning lineup for Butler, hit a pair of 3s and started working on the glass on each ends of the court docket.
However Butler wasn’t round to maintain bench models afloat whereas Curry sat. Within the seven minutes Curry rested between the primary and second quarter, Golden State acquired outscored 18-7. When he checked again in, Philadelphia had some swagger.
Grimes and Oubre acquired going and Draymond Inexperienced struggled, tricking a pair of layups and getting annoyed with each his play and the officiating.
The Sixers gained the second body 37-25, capping it with a Grimes buzzer-beater. The Warriors appeared to have all of it discovered with Butler, however all of the sudden reverted again to looking out with out him. Steve Kerr performed an 11-man rotation within the first half.
Inexperienced turned it round and opened the second half with an and-1 and Submit knocked down a pair extra 3s, however Grimes and Oubre saved cooking. Grimes transformed an and-1 to succeed in 30 factors simply three minutes into the third quarter.
Because the Warriors held Maxey and George to 5 mixed factors by the primary 29 minutes, Grimes racked up 34 factors in his first 21 minutes. He began 16-for-20, hitting 5 of his six 3-point makes an attempt.
Grimes exceeded his earlier career-high with 38 factors getting into the fourth because the Warriors inched inside six.
Philadelphia began the ultimate body on a 7-0 run, main Kerr to sub Curry again in a lot sooner than regular — on the 10-minute mark. They’d gotten destroyed with Curry on the bench all recreation, maybe the most important influence of Butler’s absence.
Curry leaked out for his first slam dunk because the 2018-19 season, pointing at his bench afterward to attempt to spark a comeback.
It labored.
Gui Santos stole an inbounds cross for a jam and Gary Payton II made it three straight dunks. Payton tied it at 112 and once more at 116 — off Curry’s season-high thirteenth help — with beneath two minutes left, closing in a small-ball unit with Inexperienced at middle.
However Grimes muscled his approach inside and Yabusele nailed his fifth 3 of the sport to offer Philadelphia a two-possession lead.
The one place Grimes missed all evening was the foul line. Fouled on a 3-pointer with a minute left, he went 1-for-3, preserving the Warriors alive; he shot 2-for-8 on the stripe general. But Philadelphia gained a problem to maintain possession and George sank a troublesome fadeaway to seal the sport.
