Visiting 76ers latest victim to streaking Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors used the third quarter yet again to create a considerable amount of distance from their opponent. On this night, the Philadelphia 76ers witnessed a drastic 36-21 point disparity.

And at the end of four quarters, the Warriors finished on top 135-114 to claim their conference-high sixth straight victory Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

Philadelphia (6-6) was right there for the first two quarters. The score was tied with 7:29 left in the third until the Golden State blitzed the Sixers with a 27-11 run. It was a blitz too cold to overcome.

"You realize that there is zero margin for error," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "There is so much firepower on this team that you turn your head or you're not in this complete state of anxiety wondering where people are."

Though Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is pleased with the results, he says he still wants to see his team put two halves together consistently.

"I'd like to be a first-half team too," Kerr said. "That's the next step. It does seem like teams come after us early. ... We want to put it together for four quarters, but right now it seems like we are kind of treading water for a while and getting it going in the second half."

After missing Wednesday's game because of a left-thigh contusion, Kevin Durant returned for a game-high 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 on 3-pointers to go with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 28 minutes.

Klay Thompson scored 23 points and drained four 3s. Stephen Curry chipped in 22 points and nailed three 3-pointers.

The Warriors led by as many as 26 points and have defeated their past six opponents by an average of 21.5 points. This is the first time in franchise history that they've won six straight by 15 points or more.

Curry received a knee to the thigh in the first two minutes Saturday and asked to be pulled from the game. He was seen stretching on the bench as he received treatment. He returned after the next timeout.

"I'm sure it's going to hurt tomorrow," he said, "but hopefully I'll be all right."

Joel Embiid wanted to leave an impact on this game. He shared with the media on Friday that he told Draymond Green over the summer that he was going to "kick his ass" on the court. He had his opportunity late in the game. Early in the fourth, Green drove around the big man and tossed up a left-handed floater that banked in over the outstretched arms of Embiid. On his way back on defense, Green held out his left hand in amazement.

Green finished with 10 points, a game-high 10 rebounds, seven assists, a game-high five blocks and two steals. He got the best of Embiid on Saturday night, as Embiid produced 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and pulled down seven boards. The big man and Durant were each hit with technical fouls for jawing after Embiid hacked the small forward from behind to prevent a dunk.

Green didn't approve of the technicals being issued. He said, "The talking and all that, I like it. I think more guys should be that way."

"When him and K started barking at each other, like, I don't understand why that's a double technical," he said after the game. "Like, it's basketball. I think the fans love to see that. For instance, when me and [Dallas Mavericks guard] Dennis Smith said our words earlier in the season, the referee let us talk and then we continued on, the game continued on. Double techs for that? I really don't understand that.

"At the end of the day, it's basketball, it's entertainment, and that's entertainment. It's not like they're disrespecting the game, disrespecting each other. They're not in each other's face barking. They're saying something and walking the other way. It's basketball. Why won't you let that happen? That makes the game more fun. It hypes those two guys up to go at each other even more and the game gets better. It gets more interesting."

Durant was asked about his exchange with Embiid, and he said, "Oh yeah. He talks a lot of s--, so I needed some energy. I knew if I threw a couple words at him, he'll hype me up. So, it was fun. I've known Joel since he came into the league so it's nothing personal."

Golden State closes out a four-game homestand Monday when the Orlando Magic visit.