The start of the Golden State Warriors’ three-game road swing got off to a rocky start. With Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler sidelined against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, the Warriors’ offense got off to a shivering ice-cold start in Philly.
In the first quarter against the Sixers, the Warriors’ offense mustered up just 10 points in 12 minutes. The Warriors shot 4-of-24 from the floor in the quarter. Golden State’s offense went seven minutes without registering a point. Golden State’s 10 point quarter was the lowest amount of points by any team in the NBA has scored in a quarter this season and the lowest amount in the Steve Kerr era in Golden State.
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Luckily for the Warriors, there were still three more quarters to decide the game. Yet, in the second quarter, things didn’t get easier for the Warriors. While the Warriors couldn’t cut into the Sixers’ advantage, another key member of the Warriors suffered an injury. Draymond Green suffered a right leg injury in the second quarter that would cause him to miss the second half of the game in Philadelphia.
Yet, despite trailing by 22 at halftime with Curry, Butler and Green all sidelined, the Warriors didn’t wave the white flag. Led by De’Anthony Melton in the third quarter, the Warriors began to mount their comeback.
In his season-debut, Melton tallied 14 points with 12 coming in the second half. Alongside Melton, Pat Spencer came alive off the bench again off the bench for the Warriors. Spencer notched 16 points with 14 coming in the second half.
As momentum began to swing in favor of the Warriors, the Sixers went cold. In the third quarter, the Warriors shaved the Sixers’ lead down to 14 points by forcing seven turnovers in the frame. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors continued to push their way back into the game. The Warriors went on a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to get within five of the Sixers. Spencer, Post and Gui Santos hit timely shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to erase Philadelphia’s advantage and take the lead of their own.
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Despite Spencer and Melton’s heroics, the Sixers wouldn’t go away. In a thrilling back-and-forth final stretch, the Sixers forced a steal with eight seconds to give them a chance to steal the game in the final seconds. With the Warriors clinging to a one-point lead, Tyrese Maxey launched a potential game-winner that came up short by rookie VJ Edgecomb was there for a put-back shot to give the Sixers the lead, 99-98. With 0.9 seconds left on the clock, Buddy Hield quickly slung the ball down the court to Melton for a last-second layup attempt at the buzzer. Yet, Maxey was there for a game-sealing block to slam the door on Golden State’s storybook comeback.
While it was the Spencer and Melton show down the stretch, Steve Kerr opted not to play Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski in the fourth quarter. Both players didn’t register a minute in the final frame.
The Warriors have now lost six of their last eight games to fall to 11-12 on the season. The Warriors will get Friday night off before meeting their former rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday evening.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors epic comeback vs. Sixers falls short in heartbreaking fashion
