By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly Staff
The Philadelphia 76ers (24-42) finish their west coast trip on Tuesday night in one of the most feared arenas in the NBA. The Sixers take on the Golden State Warriors (52-14) in the Oracle Arena.
The west coast trip for the Sixers has gone pretty well, at least game quality wise. The team went to overtime in losing fashion with the Portland Trail Blazers last Thursday, and lost a close one with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. Sunday was a success, however, with a big victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, that featured big nights from Dario Šarić and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot.
It's no question the degree of difficulty the Sixers are going to face when they play against the NBA's best team, the Warriors. The last time out against Golden State came in Philadelphia with the Sixers falling 119-108 back on February 27.
With a Warrior three game losing streak going into Tuesday, including five of their last seven games, the Sixers could have a chance to turn their recent offensive successes into a victory against the two-time defending Western Conference champion Warriors.
Last Time Out:
Back on February 27, the Warriors made a visit to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Sixers. Philadelphia was coming off the buzzer-beater loss to the Carmelo-led Knicks, and a victory the previous night to the Washington Wizards. The Sixers were looking to take a Warrior team to the limit, and make the home crowd happy.
Fortunately for the Sixers, Steph Curry had one of his worst shooting nights of his career. For a guy who has had one of the NBA's most pristine three-point shooting careers of all time, going 0-for-11 was not part of his agenda. The Sixers however, were able to use their success against the two-time reigning NBA MVP and draw closer to the deficit throughout.
Unsurprisingly, Dario Šarić had an impressive night for the Sixers, scoring 21 points, with seven rebounds, seven assists, and a steal. Robert Covington had 15 points and eight rebounds. Covington showcased his defensive mind once again with four steals. Gerald Henderson had 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal for the Sixers.
Despite Curry's misfortunes from three, he still managed to have 19 points on the night. Kevin Durant picked up the slack with 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a block to lead the Warriors to victory in what was a close contest.
Keep it up, Dario:
For the entirety of the season for the Sixers, the story has been pretty much the same: Joel Embiid. Sixers fans and media have been praising Embiid all season, and for the most part, the Sixers' big man has lived up to all the hype.
When Embiid went down with an injury that eventually sidelined him for the remainder of the season, the Sixers needed somebody to step up to the challenge to be the team's on-the-floor leader.
Without a doubt, the Sixers' leader this season since the Embiid injury has been Dario Šarić. The Homie has put together an impressive rookie campaign for the team this year, and at this point in the season, it looks like Šarić will be the Rookie of the Year when it's all said and done.
It hasn't just been a couple games for Šarić's success on the floor. It's been a repeated thing, as the power forward has solidified himself in the starting lineup now and for the long future. It was certain that Šarić would quickly mold himself from a stellar sixth-man into a full-benefit starter once Ersan Ilyasova was traded to the Atlanta Hawks.
Dario's numbers ever since taking over have been daunting. In his last 10 games, he has averaged close to 20 points, nine rebounds, and four assists per game. Imagine Šarić out on the floor with Embiid and Simmons for a full-game and see where his game would stack up. Dario has had an unbelievable rookie campaign and the only way it can go on up from here is upwards.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: What else can be said about the Sixers' last game other than an incredible effort. The Los Angeles Lakers pushed for a comeback late in the fourth quarter, but the incredible career high game for Dario Šarić with 29 points propelled the Sixers to a much-needed win at the Staples Center after losing the night before in the same building. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot had a career high 18 points, Jahlil Okafor had 23. The Lakers had a big night from Jordan Clarkson, who put 30 points up off the bench, but the Lakers were unable to complete the comeback with the Sixers coming away with a 118-116 victory.
Warriors: Well, as controversial as this game was on Saturday night, the Spurs came out with a decisive victory over the Warriors. The game was supposed to feature the NBA's two best teams under the same roof with some of the NBA's best players, but instead showcased a 'Battle of the Benches' game. Steve Kerr decided to sit Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala. The Spurs sat Kawhi Leonard due to concussion protocol, and Lamarcus Aldridge sat due to an abnormal heartbeat. Safe to say, fans who bought tickets to see their favorite players were not happy to see a matchup like ones between the 2015 Sixers and Knicks. Ian Clark(who?) led the Warriors with 36 points off the bench in the 107-85 loss to San Antonio.
| Matchup Preview | March 14, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Philadelphia 76ers (24-42, 9-23 Away) |
Golden State Warriors (52-14, 26-4 Home) |
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Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
When: 10:30 p.m. ET
Watch: CSN Philly, NBA.TV
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
