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The Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors battled back and forth in the fourth quarter on Saturday night, with neither team willing to give an inch in a display of two of the NBA's most talented teams.
With Golden State leading 117-111 with under 40 seconds to play, things looked iffy for Philly. However, Tobias Harris hit a 3-pointer on an inbounds play immediately after a full timeout to cut the Warriors' lead to just three.
With 37 seconds still remaining, the Sixers could have played the next possession out, and a defensive stop would have given them over 10 seconds to try to tie the game.
Instead, Sixers forward Mike Scott — who had been one of the reasons for keeping Philly in the game — fouled Kevin Durant and sent him to the free-throw line. The Warriors effectively closed the game out from there.
Sixers head coach Brett Brown was visibly upset after Scott committed the foul, and later told ESPN that a lack of familiarity with certain situations led to late-game miscues:
“There's so much situation stuff that we just really haven't had the chance to go through with our new guys,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said. “Whether you need a 3 on a sideline, whether you're trying to miss a free throw and position people around, whether you want a foul or don't-you-foul type stuff, even though these guys are great players, have been around the league a long time, every coaching staff is sort of different.
“Some of it isn't their fault, and it's nobody's fault. It's just the fact that we've [only] been with each other for a minute, and at times like that, it rears its head and you feel that pain.”
The Sixers next host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
