A brilliant ending to the game has helped the Philadelphia 76ers come back from a game that they lost by 13 points in the third quarter. The great defense of the premises, coupled with the pressure of the Wells Fargo Center fans, was enough to defeat the Golden State Warriors who lost control in the decisive stretch of the game(102-93).
Doc Rivers seems to have found the correct formula. The Sixers have now had four victories in their last five games and are putting an uneven streak behind them. After the last loss to the Utah Jazz, it looked like a difficult night against the Bay team. However, Philadelphia once again showed all its virtues to achieve one of those victories that raise the morale of the team and the fans.
Matisse Thybulle’s defense stood out above the rest. The Australian player faced the difficult task of stopping Stephen Curry, one of the fittest players in the league, and he more than accomplished the goal. The Warriors point guard never felt completely comfortable and the Sixers took advantage of this weakness to bring the game to their home ground. His great performance served to make Steve Kerr praise his figure at the end of the game.
They chased Curry really well… I give Thybulle credit. He was fantastic defensively. He’s a rare combination of length, athletic build, and brains. He did the best job on Steph that I’ve seen in a long time, ”explained the Warriors coach.
In the individual performances section, Joel Embiid’s party stands out. The Cameroonian center again showed that, despite not being in his best season, he is one of the most dominant players in the league. He finished the game with 26 points and 9 rebounds in just over 30 minutes of play. He was especially decisive in the final stretch, when he made it clear that the Warriors do not have a player of his stature to defend him.
On the other side, Golden State adds its fifth loss of the season and moves away from the lead (21-5). Good scoring performances by Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, 20 and 23 points respectively, weren’t enough to compensate for a low-key Curry and a poor contribution from the bench. Kerr’s team is off to a bad start on their five-game Eastern Conference road trip.
(Photography by Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
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