By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly Staff 
The Philadelphia 76ers(22-36) are home Monday night and they have an extremely tough task ahead of them: The Golden State Warriors(49-9). The Warriors are undeniably the best team in the NBA, both record and talent-wise.
The Sixers are coming off of a big win on Friday vs. the Wizards and a one-point loss against the Knicks on Saturday. With Dario Saric, Jahlil Okafor, and others stepping up and being key contributors to the team, the Sixers have been in good positions to win when it matters most.
The resiliency of this team in less than ideal situations is one of the main reasons why the Sixers have won 12 more games this season than last season, and have taken a giant leap towards being more competitive in basketball games.
That resiliency felt in games against less tough teams must be amped up in order stay with or even defeat the league's best players.
Joel Embiid was announced to be out indefinitely after his knee showed swelling on Monday. Ben Simmons is out for the season with the foot fracture injury, he had a bone marrow injection earlier Monday morning to accelerate healing.
Last Meeting:
This is the first matchup this season between the Sixers and the Warriors. In both contests last season, the Warriors came away with victories. Surprisingly, the Sixers managed to only drop those games by 12 points and three points, respectively. They stayed remarkably close, considering the Warriors finished the season an NBA-record 73-9, while the Sixers finished a league-worst 10-72. It's apparent that the Sixers have always shown heart in games where the entire nation rules them out from competing at all. These two teams only get two meetings per year, and the next time they square off it'll be March 14 inside the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Dario's increased role as a starter:
Probably the biggest story besides Embiid and Simmons, and Jahlil Okafor trade rumors this season has been the recent emergence of Dario Saric in the starting role for the Sixers. Saric is now arguably the front-runner for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award due to his recent play, and how Embiid will likely not be eligible for the Award due to games played.
Saric has had a double-double in his last four games, and has averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds in his last five games. The Sixers traded power-forward Ersan Ilyasova to the Atlanta Hawks last Thursday, which allowed Saric to become the team's starter moving forward.
Dario Saric is already a fan-favorite and has developed into a player this season who can shoot, pass, and be a playmaker when need be.
Saric has a tough test Monday vs. Golden State, as he will likely need to figure out a way to go one-on-one with Draymond Green. This will without a doubt be one of Dario's toughest matchups this season.
What's next for the Sixers?
Tonight is a big game for the Sixers in terms of competing with an elite basketball franchise. However, every win that the Sixers accumulate now could hurt them in the long run. Without Embiid and Simmons in the lineup, the chances of winning handedly are pretty slim. There is no knocking the heart that this team has shown in all of the games they've played this season. There is no doubt their longing to win basketball games and be competitive. Unfortunately, there are still holes that the team must fill in the lineup that may be too hard to get during free agency. The draft is where the Sixers are going to flourish, and their chances of getting a lottery pick could be slim if they continue to win basketball games and increase their standings, even with the pick swap with Sacramento.
While it would be amazing to knock off the Warriors in Philly and deny them of breaking their own NBA season win record of nine losses, it's inevitable that winning will absolutely decrease chances of having a high draft position.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: Sixers lost a heart-breaker to the Knicks on Saturday night, 110-109. Carmelo Anthony hit a buzzer-beating shot with .3 seconds on the clock to win the ballgame. The Sixers got big performances out of Jahlil Okafor, who had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Dario Saric, who had 19 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. The Sixers trailed New York by as much as 14 points with only minutes remaining in the third quarter. Philly clawed all the way back and dropped the game in the closing seconds, similar to T.J. McConnell's buzzer beater in Philly back in January against the Knicks.
Warriors: The Warriors got a 112-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Steph Curry had 27 points and Klay Thompson had 24. The Warriors were without the services of Kevin Durant, who was out with an injury. Zaza Pachulia had eight points, eight rebounds, and three assists in Durant's absence. Golden State has won three straight contests, including 12 of their last 15 games.
| Matchup Preview | February 27, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Golden State Warriors (49-9, 23-6 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (22-36, 14-16 Home) |
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Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
When: 7 p.m.
Watch: CSN Philly
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
