Warriors at 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have been turning some heads with their play of late but will have to bring it up another level when they host the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors on Monday. The 76ers are looking for their fifth straight home win after knocking off Charlotte on Saturday. The Warriors evened their road trip at 1-1 with a dominating performance at New York on Saturday as Draymond Green asserted himself.
Green grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in a loss at Atlanta on Friday and followed it with 20 points and 13 boards in a 106-92 triumph over the Knicks. Philadelphia has several of its own rapidly improving players and Robert Covington could provide a tough matchup for Green and Harrison Barnes as a forward who can shoot from the outside. “You see what you have when you have somebody that can make the long ball, and can do it by himself,” 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters of Covington after he knocked down five 3-pointers en route to 22 points on Saturday. “Really, he just took the space that was given to him.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (40-9): Golden State finished a stretch of four games in five nights at New York on Saturday and showed off the depth of the team when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had some trouble getting going. Green (8-of-12 from the field) and Barnes (4-of-5) picked up the slack while David Lee earned his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Lee accepted a bench role upon returning from a hamstring injury in December that keeps Green in the starting lineup, and Lee and Andre Iguodala give the Warriors a pair of former All-Stars on the second unit.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (12-40): Philadelphia held the Hornets to 34.2 percent from the field in the 89-81 win on Saturday and has held the opponent under 100 points in each of the last four home games. The 76ers’ four wins are one more than they managed in their first 21 home games combined and Saturday’s win marked the start of a three-game homestand. Michael Carter-Williams (toe) missed the last two games and Tim Frazier, who was signed to a 10-day contract on Thursday, has taken advantage with 19 assists in his first two career games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. 76ers G Hollis Thompson is 17-of-27 from 3-point range in the last five games.
2. Warriors G Stephen Curry failed to record an assist on Saturday for the first time since Feb. 29, 2012.
3. Golden State put seven scorers in double figures and shot 56.1 percent from the field in a 126-86 win over Philadelphia on Dec. 30.