The Philadelphia 76ers (49-24) started a three-game swing on the West Coast with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors (39-36). A tight game throughout, the Sixers came up just short in a super close contest, losing by a score of 120-112.

Let's break down the Sixers' loss to the Warriors.

Sixers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 46 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 13-23 FG shooting

Still in action despite calf tightness, Embiid was everywhere. He commanded both sides of the floor when he wasn't shooting threes. The Warriors had just no answer for his size and skill, as he scored time and time again while also performing his duties as a playmaker.

Tyrese Maxey: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-15 F3G shooting

Maxey quietly had a very solid night. He was one of the few Sixers who could hit a three and, especially in the third quarter, provided some key scoring. This was not his finest night defensively, though, and this is not the team to have poor perimeter defense against.

Tobias Harris: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 10-12 FG shooting

In what is perhaps one of the very best recent developments for the Sixers, Harris continues to look good. He was insanely efficient in the first half, feasting inside as his teammates set him up while creating some offense out of the mid-range. His production fell off in the second half but without his amazing first half, this game would have had a much different tune.

Warriors player notes:

Stephen Curry: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 10-18 FG shooting

Curry, who sat out when the Sixers and Warriors first played this season, started the night with some tight layups after shaking free of the defense. Basketball's best shooter continued making plays by close shots rather than the far ones he has become a legend for. His ability to finish at the rim despite Embiid's presence was huge for Golden State.

Jordan Poole: 33 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 10-19 FG shooting

The scoring punch opposite of Curry was brought mainly by Poole, who hit an array of crazy shots throughout the night, including six triples in 11 tries. He was particularly hot in the fourth quarter, making things extra tough on the Sixers' defense with a 19-point scoring frenzy.

Draymond Green: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 5-11 FG shooting

Green was also out when Philly defeated Golden State in December. He gave the ball away three times in the first eight minutes but made up for it with a big display of playmaking and efficient scoring. His defense against Embiid was good enough to force him into tougher shots but not good enough to completely stop him in his tracks.

Game recap:

1st half

De'Anthony Melton started once with James Harden out again and guarded Curry. Tobias Harris started out on Thompson but struggled to stay in front of him as he ran off of screens. The Warriors had Green roam off of Tucker and used the undersized but sturdy Kevon Looney on Embiid while Donte DiVincenzo guarded Maxey.

Golden State gave Philly some trouble with its off-ball movement but Philly also read passing lanes, forced turnovers and scored in transition rather well. When Looney subbed out, Embiid used his size to get right to the cup with ridiculous ease. The frontcourt of Jonathan Kuminga and JaMychal Green offered little resistance and Golden State didn't adjust by showing him doubles or closed-off driving lanes. They pinched in but not enough to deter the big fella's drives.

The Sixers' depth was really tested with Jalen McDaniels out and Danuel House Jr. being a late scratch with shoulder soreness on top of Harden's absence. Doc Rivers decided to sub Maxey out first and put Shake Milton in. Furkan Korkmaz saw legitimate minutes for the first time since New Year's Eve. Maxey and Tucker led the backup unit to start the second quarter along with Milton, Georges Niang and Paul Reed.

Meanwhile, the Warriors used their own skinny, sharpshooting guard and rugged, defensive-minded forward to start the quarter, too. The former hit a three and then the latter fed Anthony Lamb on the fastbreak to get the Warriors back in front, prompting a timeout from Rivers. The second unit, which eventually featured Melton in place of Reed, had a tough time stopping the Warriors' offense. Without Harden in the unit, it was hard for them to generate offense of their own.

The Sixers struggled mightily to convert their looks from downtown. The Warriors not only shot decently from deep but also matched it with a high volume of looks (they're known for that, apparently). Embiid got the offense going with a lob to Harris for a dunker-spot layup, one of many interior buckets in the first half for Tobi. He used his size to get into his defender's chest and although he also wasted time on a few occasions by over-dribbling, he did come through with some big buckets.

At the half, the Sixers trailed 55-53.

2nd half

Maxey's slashing prowess ignited the Sixers' offense to start the second half. Melton did a solid job sticking with Curry and anticipating his movement but the Dubs responded with some tough shots in the paint. Melton came through with some key defensive plays, though they weren't against Curry. One was a steal on a lazy inbounds pass that he turned into a layup and one was a double-team on DiVincenzo that resulted in a Maxey steal and two-on-one break.

With Embiid and Maxey coming through for big points and passes and the Warriors' big three doing the same, the game remained close. Neither side's shooting from deep was very good — Philly's remained cold while Golden State got cold — but the paint was the land of efficient scoring.

The Warriors started shading over to Embiid more but he remained cool and composed, feeding Milton on a three. They let smaller players switch onto the big man often and he made them pay repeatedly, often by drawing fouls. As Golden State struggled to find an answer for him, Embiid reached 31 points through the first three quarters to take an 88-79 lead entering the fourth quarter.

A tip-in layup from Reed and an and-one from Maxey kept the Sixers ahead by a good margin to start the fourth. Even with Curry and Poole out there, the Sixers' stayed strong on defense, making the Embiid-less minutes much more bearable…that is, until Poole rattled off seven unanswered points to make it a one-possession game.

Embiid drained a middie over Green with ease and then, instead of setting for three after pump-faking him into the air, drove into the lane with sensational dexterity to draw a foul. Looney came in for Green and — get this — Embiid was still able to score routinely. He was just unguardable.

However, the Warriors got into a groove behind Poole and tied things up with a Thompson triple. The Dubs went with Looney and Green together to combat Embiid. Harris came through with some clutch buckets as the teams went back and forth. Poole drained a corner three to put Golden State up by five with just over a minute left and the Sixers were unable to pull off a last-second miracle.

Random thoughts:

  • The Warriors' home and road record splits are almost the inverses of one another: 30-7 at Chase Center and 9-29 elsewhere. That is insane. Not even the 2019-20 Sixers had record splits that extreme, as they were 31-4 at home and 12-26 on the road.

The Sixers are back in action tomorrow night against the Phoenix Suns.