Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from 124-116 win at Sixers

Here are three takeaways from the Golden State Warriors win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

This was the “Process” in the Golden State Warriors’ 124-116 win over the Sixers on Saturday:

Absorbed the upstart Sixers’ blistering 47 point explosion in the first quarter and a 22 point deficit at halftime; Decided to compete when  Assistant Coach Jarron Collins told NBC Sports Bay Area sideline reporter Kerith Burke that the Warriors “have to decide if they  want to compete.

Hung 47 points on the Sixers during another blistering third quarter offensive onslaught; Locked in on defense during the second half.

Completed the comeback win.

After the game, Kevin Durant said that the Warriors didn’t want to lose to Philly because, for better terms they wouldn’t hear the end of it especially from the gregarious and boisterous Joel Embiid. While that is a factor, another factor is wanting to snap a one game losing streak and rebound from Thursday’s loss in Boston.

Regardless of the the catalyst for the comeback, The Warriors found some much needed motivation to stay present in the game and chip away at the lead until they won. Honestly, it would n’t be surprising to believe and speculate that the Warriors really savored this effort because  this was the kind of game that crushes the will of an opponent.

Imagine putting 47 points  on the defending World Champions in front of a revitalized home crowd in Philadelphia, your squad having your way in the paint and along the perimeter.

Twitter fingers popping for a half only to have it erased by giving up 47 points of your own in the third quarter and eventually blowing that 22 point lead a the half. Seeing Sixers fans heading for the exits despondent  and their eyes glued to the battered concrete of South Philly had to warm the cockles of the Warriors’ hearts.

Here are three observations from Saturday’s 21 point win against the Sixers.

Steph STEPHED

Stephen Curry  struggled offensively in the first half . While he had 15 points in the first half, he shot 0/4 from deep and 3/7 from the field. He committed a careless turnover, boggled a two time out sequence, and carried a -28 in plus/minus before intermission.

Curry annihilated the Sixers in the third quarter. Outscoring the entire team 20-15. He finished the game with 35 points 5 boards and 5 assists on 11/22 shooting  and 4/9 from three. Curry also turned his -28  into a plus 3 for the game.

It is obvious that Curry  is a huge part of what the Warriors do. His ability to draw and stretch defenses creates space for others makes the team better. In addition to his gravity, he is also impactful in other ways. Despite having Durant, Thompson, and Green on the floor at the same time with the second half, the team tends to struggle.

Why? Because Curry is on the bench. It is still amazing that as talented and as deep as the Dubs are, they are dysfunctional if Curry is in foul trouble and on the bench or he’s playing passive.  This team truly goes where #30 goes, and when he is impacting the game with his shots and his on ball movement, the Warriors are better team by far.

Curry slumping at points of a season is nothing new. Last year, he had a cold shooting stretch before Durant’s injury and he fought it by keeping the aggression  up and not losing confidence in his shot.

Contributions from the Benchmob

The Warriors bench outscored the Sixers’ bench 27-19. David West lead the second unit with 14 points in 14 minutes. Nick Young also stepped up  tonight. He is starting to commit on defense. -coming  up huge with a charge he took in the third. Offensively, Swaggy delivered as his contested 3 gave the Warriors the lead with less than three minutes left in the game .

After a horrendous first half, the bench settled down in the second and it was mainly because of not only West’s scoring  but his awareness.  West was effective on offense by spreading the floor and doing his part on the defensive end.

The Warriors have struggled with consistent performances from the bench all season. When Curry or Durant sits, the second unit tend to make the team vulnerable. But it wasn’t the case against the Sixers, as the unit actually helped increase the lead by 10 points after Young’s three. The bench  was a plus -5 in 11 minutes of action.

The depth is there and the potential for the bench to be consistent and steady has been proven in this game. It’s up to Kerr to figure out how to shape and mold that lineup.

Looney’s emergence continues

During last week’s 21 point win against the Sixers at Oracle, Kevon Looney‘s window of opportunity continued to grow and he continued to make the most of it. In the first match up, Looney totaled totaling three blocks in 15 minutes.

One of those blocks set up a Thompson three to give the ‘Dubs a 65-64 lead at the end of the first half.  He also spend most of his minutes on Joel Embiid and harassed him to a 4/11 shooting night before helping on the perimeter.

In the rematch, Looney chipped in with 5 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal and was a plus 19 for the game.

Next: Dubs beat Sixers 124-116

During the offseason, Looney dropped 20 pounds in order to carve out a role as a versatile defender that can effectively switch onto and guard multiple positions. So far, Looney’s hard work is getting him some minutes into the rotation.