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The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors Saturday for a matchup in primetime. Not only did the Sixers manage to stall history, but picked up a win in the process. Thanks to a late second-half surge from the bench unit, they managed to take down the Warriors by a final score of 102-93. Here are some observations from the matchup.
76ers Observations
1) Halting Stephen Curry
Saturday had the potential to be a historic night for Golden State's franchise cornerstone. Heading into the matchup, Stephen Curry needed ten threes to break Ray Allen's record for three-pointers made. Unfortunately for him, the 76ers had no intentions of history being made on their home floor.
With such a high-level offensive talent on the other side, Rivers made a change in his starting lineup. Danny Green was replaced by Matisse Thybulle, who was then tasked with being Curry's primary defender. Thybulle has never backed down from a high-profile defensive matchup, and Saturday was no different.
The Warriors did all they could to free Curry up, but Thybulle gave him no room to breathe. From the opening tip, he was glued to the former MVP's hip. Curry ended the night with just 18 points on 6-for-20 shooting, in large part to the havoc caused by Thybulle.
Saturday was arguably one of Thybulle's best defensive performances of his career and a testament to how special of a talent he is on that end of the floor.
2) Second unit provides a lift
Things were not looking great for the 76ers coming out of halftime. The Warriors started the third quarter blazing hot, especially from beyond the arc. At one point, their lead extended to as much as 13. Between the red-hot shooting and a stagnant Sixers offense, many expected Golden State to run away with the game.
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Similar to all season, the Sixers refused to throw in the towel. They continued to play hard on both ends and were rewarded for their effort. Rivers went to his bench late in the third, and they managed to get the Sixers within striking distance.
Two key standouts off the bench were Shake Milton (ten points, two assists) and Andre Drummond (nine points, nine rebounds). The run to end the third shifted the tides of the game and allowed the 76ers to take control in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.
3) Turning it up when it mattered
When the final quarter began, the 76ers were back in striking distance. The offensive spark from the second unit got them back in the game, but it was their defense down the stretch that sealed the victory.
The Sixers have built a reputation as a defensive powerhouse over the years, and it was on display against the Warriors. They defended well all night and managed to turn it up a notch when needed the most.
Golden State shot only 33% in the fourth quarter, hitting seven of their 21 shot attempts. After being neck-and-neck for a majority of the game, the Sixers outscored the Warriors 32-20 in the final 12 minutes.
This is the second time in their recent stretch the 76ers have won a game because of their defense. Their first was against the Atlanta Hawks on the road last week. Even without Ben Simmons, this group has shown they can defend at a high level down the stretch of tight games.
