Warriors at 76ers
The Golden State Warriors aren't having much luck on their East Coast trip as they try to balance winning with resting players down the stretch to stay healthy for the playoffs. The Warriors will try to avoid a third straight loss and earn a win over a potential NBA Finals opponent when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
Golden State fell 126-125 at Miami on a last-second shot with center DeMarcus Cousins sitting out on Wednesday and gave Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala the night off before squandering a fourth-quarter lead in a 103-96 loss at Orlando the following night. "We had a lot of combinations out there that probably haven't been together all year," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "So, I was proud of the way we competed, but I didn't think we executed very well at either end of the floor - at key times in the fourth quarter, especially." The 76ers aren't having the same issues with one of their All-Stars out and are 3-1 since the All-Star break despite being without center Joel Embiid (knee), who is not expected to play on Saturday. Picking up the slack is newcomer Tobias Harris, who is averaging 26 points on 57.8 percent shooting in the last four contests.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (43-19): All-Star point guard Stephen Curry led the way with 33 points on Thursday and didn't seem concerned about his team's recent struggles. "We don't become the team we are right now without understanding what we're capable of and understanding how to deal with failure," Curry told reporters. "We go to Philly on (Saturday) knowing that, if we play our type of game, we should win. So, we've just got to get there." Thursday's contest marked the first game this season missed by Durant, who is expected to be back on Saturday.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (40-22): Harris scored 32 points in Thursday's 108-104 win over the Thunder, which marked Philadelphia's first ever win in Oklahoma City. Ben Simmons added a triple-double and recorded 11 of the team's 33 assists. "There was an unselfishness," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "I think that connects the dots to so many things. It's a very unselfish group, and I thought Jimmy Butler tonight, especially, went way out of his way to live by that standard we've set. He was our bell ringer tonight."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cousins recorded a double-double in each of his last five games.
2. 76ers SG JJ Redick is 9-of-39 from the floor over the last three contests.
3. Philadelphia earned a 113-104 victory at Golden State on Jan. 31 behind 26 points and 20 rebounds from Embiid.