Warriors to get Durant back vs. 76ers
The Golden State Warriors will get their first look at the up-and-coming Philadelphia 76ers when the clubs meet Saturday night in Oakland, Calif.
The 76ers will be coming off a 109-108 loss Thursday at Sacramento -- their only defeat since Oct. 25 -- when they tackle a Warriors team riding a five-game winning streak and expected to get Kevin Durant back from a one-game absence.
After opening their five-game trip with a 104-97 win at Utah on Tuesday night, Philadelphia got nothing better than a jumper by big man Joel Embiid in the final seconds at Sacramento when a hoop probably would have resulted in a sixth straight win.
"We didn't execute anything down the stretch," insisted 76ers coach Brett Brown, who scripted a potential game-winning shot for Ben Simmons during a timeout with 14.1 seconds left. "We didn't deserve to win."
The Warriors have never seen Simmons, 2016's No. 1 overall draft pick who missed the entire season following foot surgery.
The uniquely talented 6-foot-10 guard scored in double figures in all 11 76ers games this season, seven times recording double-doubles and twice posting triple-doubles.
He had a run of seven straight games with eight or more assists until being limited to six apiece in the first two games of the trip.
Embiid had 22 points and 15 rebounds against the Kings.
He sat out the opener of the trip at Utah as a rest after having played at least 24 minutes in six straight games. Embiid missed both games against Golden State last season because of a meniscus tear in his left knee.
Philadelphia lost eight straight to the Warriors, although it nearly shocked the champs on their last trip to Oakland in March. Dario Saric had 25 points in a 106-104 loss -- a game in which the 76ers led by 12 points entering the fourth quarter.
Golden State demonstrated its depth with Durant out of action with a minor thigh injury in Wednesday's 125-101 home blowout of one of the West's bright, young clubs, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Andre Iguodala came off the bench to record a season-best 11 points in his first start of the season, while offseason acquisitions Omri Casspi and Nick Young, responding to more minutes than usual, combined for 25 points off the bench in the win.
Casspi was so impressive -- he also had three blocks and two steals in 20 minutes -- Warriors fans began chanting "MVP" when he went to the free throw line.
"I went to K.D. after the game and was like, 'K.D., you're holding me back, bro,'" Casspi said with a laugh. "It was just funny, man. I missed a free throw because of that, too. I couldn't focus."
Someone the Warriors won't see Saturday night is James Michael McAdoo, who played on Golden State's championship teams in 2014-15 and last season.
McAdoo left Golden State as a free agent in the offseason, signing a two-way contract with the 76ers.
He currently is on assignment with the 76ers' G-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers.
