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The Warriors Have Won 10 Straight Against the Sixers… Does the Streak End Tonight?
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In the words of Aaron Lewis, it’s been a while since the Sixers beat the Warriors.
Granted, Golden State was putting together a dynasty at the same time Sam Hinkie was t̶a̶n̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ executing a cutting-edge rebuild, so you can understand why the series has been less than competitive over the past half-decade.
You’d have to go all the way back to March 2nd, 2013 to find the last Philly victory over the Dubs. Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner led the high-powered Sixers attack, bolstered by a 6-6 night from Royal Ivey and a meaty Thad Young double-double.
Check out this box score:
Golden State wasn’t yet a super power back then. Festus Ezeli was starting at center, Draymond Green was a rookie, and Kevin Durant was a Thunder… and the lightning… and the Thunder… lightning and the Thunder.
GSW lost to the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs, added a couple of pieces from there, and the rest is history.
The Sixers blew it up and began anew, and while they got trucked by 43 and 20 points the following season, they played an ultra-competitive game with Golden State during the 10-win 2015 campaign, losing 89-84 at home.
Andre Iguodala didn’t play that night, but the Warriors threw their typical starting five at Brett Brown’s young team, resulting in these not entirely balanced starting lineups:
- Steph Curry –> Tim Frazier
- Klay Thompson –> JaKarr Sampson
- Harrison Barnes –> Robert Covington
- Draymond Green –> Luc Mbah a Moute
- Andrew Bogut –> Nerlens Noel
They played tough defense that night but turned the ball over 27 times, which isn’t gonna win you many games, after the jump:
Michael Carter-Williams didn’t play that night. They could have used his season average 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Philly was again competitive with Golden State the following year, losing by 12 on the road but coming within three points of taking them out at the Wells Fargo Center.
Even if you hated the Process or didn’t watch a lick of basketball back then, you might remember seeing highlights of the game-winning Harrison Barnes three-pointer all over ESPN the following day:
Warriors 108, Sixers 105.
Brett Brown called for the Steph Curry double team and Barnes found himself wide open in the corner for the dagger. Philly only turned it over 10 times that night but suffered through a 4-16 three-point shooting night from the starting five. They really had a chance to win this one.
That brings us to 2016-2017, the two-point loss in Oakland. The Dario Saric 25-point game with the blown inbound pass and wild finish:
21 turnovers and a 8-27 three-point shooting night, yet they only lost by two at Oracle.
They probably should have won at least one of those games, and they probably should have won last year, if we’re being honest.
Golden State blew out the Sixers on the road, but came back to play in Philly seven days later. Remember the 47-point first quarter? Ben Simmons and company ran out to a 22-point halftime lead, then got clobbered 47-15 in the third quarter en route to an eight-point home loss:
One of the more ridiculous swings I’ve ever seen.
So it’s 10 straight wins for the Warriors against Sixers, 10 games in which they’re a +162 overall, despite tight wins of 5 points, 3 points, and 2 points. Tonight they’ll throw DeMarcus Cousins at the Sixers along with the typical crew, while Philly counters with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and the best starting lineup this team has had in a long time.
Golden State is riding an 11-game winning streak and their last two losses have come in overtime to Houston and Portland. Boogie is making his home debut and the Sixers are 9.5 point underdogs.
Should be a good one.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com