If you had to sum up the Golden State Warriors’ 113–94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers to anybody, show them the highlights (or lack thereof) from the third quarter of Tuesday's game at Chase Center.
The period quickly turned into a debacle, with Philly ripping off a 12–0 run to open the second half. Even though Golden State steadied by the end of the quarter, they never really recovered.
They shot 30% from the field and 4-of-14 from deep, while giving up six offensive rebounds, committing three turnovers, dishing out just four assists, and scoring a meager two points in the paint.
The Warriors' lack of energy was blatant, and Philly took advantage of it by grabbing 25 offensive rebounds, contributing to the 76ers taking 15 more shot attempts than Golden State.
"They got every offensive rebound, then we turn it over 20 times, there's no way you can win a game losing the possession battle like that. I was disappointed with the overall effort," head coach Steve Kerr said after the game.
A combination of sluggishness, limited playmaking, lopsided shooting, and no rim attacks added up to a recipe for disaster — one the Warriors will look to avoid at all costs going forward.
Warriors have a clear lack of creation without Curry and Butler
Tuesday night was another illustration of the impact Stephen Curry has on the roster — and how lifeless the offense looks without its three most prolific scorers: Curry, Butler and Jonathan Kuminga.
Golden State attempted just two free throws, the fewest by any team this season. What made it uglier: the Warriors became the first team in NBA history to finish with 30 or fewer two-point attempts (30) and 10 or fewer free-throw attempts (2).
The lack of rim pressure and shot creation was on full display. Without Butler or Kuminga, the Warriors didn't really have a player who could drive and attack the basket at will, and it showed.
Nobody seemed willing to take the reins and lead the offense, as highlighted by another 20-turnover night. The two guards who were supposed to orchestrate things without Curry, Pat Spencer and Brandin Podziemski, combined for nine turnovers and just five assists.
Beyond the sloppy ball security, the Warriors overly relied on threes — and it worked early. Golden State hit eight triples in the opening frame, with the ball moving well. But when the shots stopped falling, there was no pivot — just more hoisting. With the lack of rim pressure mentioned above, the Warriors managed just 30 paint points.
Warriors lineup falls apart without Curry
The starters didn’t hold up their end, and Curry being out was the biggest reason.
The Curry–Moody–Podziemski–Green–Horford lineup owns a +32.4 net rating — but remove Steph and the whole thing collapses. The starting five of Podziemski–Moody–Santos–Green–Santos posted a 64.3 offensive rating, and Steve Kerr is conscious of the changes he needs to make.
“I have to re-evaluate the lineup, obviously. That group to start the game and the second half couldn’t score. We won’t start the same way next game — we’ve gotta make some changes there. We’re gonna have to sort through some of these combinations and rotations,” Kerr said postgame.
Both teams were shorthanded, with the 76ers missing Joel Embiid and Paul George while the Warriors were without Curry, Butler and Kuminga, but one side dealt with those absences better.
Golden State did a great job on Tyrese Maxey, holding him to 14 points on 33.3% shooting — just as Philadelphia matched that pressure on Melton and Podziemski.
The difference: Philly had another guy capable of stepping up.
That guy was rookie V.J. Edgecombe who put up 25 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 40 minutes.
No player on the Warriors scored more than 13 points, with Gui Santos and Spencer — who played in his 49th game out of the 50 allowed for a two-way player — reaching that mark.
The Warriors shouldn’t find themselves in that situation too often, as both Curry and Kuminga are considered day-to-day and could return as soon as Thursday night in Phoenix. Nonetheless, with less than two days until the deadline, the Warriors are in desperate need of another shot creator — and it’s never been clearer.
Was it Draymond Green's last game?
In the midst of trade speculation — and with Draymond Green reportedly available in talks — it’s fair to wonder if the noise weighed on the overall mood heading into the game.
“This was not a good vibe for us tonight, but it doesn’t matter what the trade chatter is — it’s everyone’s job to come and bring the energy, bring the fight. The first five minutes, we had guys turning it over and not running back, sulking. It’s about competing, and you have to establish that. That was the most disappointing part about tonight’s game for me,” Kerr said when asked whether the atmosphere around the organization might’ve led to this performance.
Green offered extended thoughts on the deadline postgame, highlighted by a wistful couple of sentences: “I don’t know that it ends at 13 and a half, but if it does, what a f**king run it has been. I’ll take the fine for it.”