Warriors at 76ers
THE STORY: An inability to win on their home floor has caused the Philadelphia 76ers' lead in the Atlantic Division to dwindle to only three games over the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Losers of six of seven overall and four straight at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia looks to get back on track when it hosts the Golden State Warriors on Friday night. The Warriors have won three of four, erasing the stench of a 24-point beating at Indiana on Tuesday with a narrow victory in Atlanta one night later.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, CSP
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (14-18): Dominic McGuire failed to score and took only one shot against Atlanta, but he made coach Mark Jackson feel great about the decision to start him at shooting guard. McGuire ripped down 15 rebounds, helping the Warriors pull down a season-high 53 boards, and limited Hawks leading scorer Joe Johnson to 6-of-17 shooting in an 85-82 victory. McGuire could be back on the bench depending on the status of point guard Stephen Curry, who played only three seconds Wednesday due to a strained tendon in his right foot.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (21-15): The continued absence of center Spencer Hawes (Achilles) was a big factor in Philadelphia's 92-88 loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday. His replacements, Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic, combined for two points, six rebounds and six fouls. The Sixers were also manhandled on the glass (56-39) and saw the Thunder attempt nearly three times as many free throws (34 to 12). Philadelphia has gone 12-2 with Hawes and 9-13 without him. He is not expected to return until March 12. The Sixers have not reached 100 points in 19 straight games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Friday marks the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 100-point game.
2. For the 10th time in 11 seasons, the Warriors enter March with a losing record. The only exception was in 2007-08, when they were 35-22.
3. The Sixers won by 28 at Golden State on New Year's Eve, a game the Warriors played without leading scorer Monta Ellis.