Warriors at 76ers

WHEN: 4:30 p.m. - Saturday, November 18

WHERE: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, PA

TV: NBCSBA

RADIO: 95.7 The Game

The Golden State Warriors swing into Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on the second game of their four game road trip. After losing a heartbreaker to the scorching hot Boston Celtics, the Warriors hope to set themselves back into the win column against the 8-6 Sixers - a team that may need another year or two to round into a Playoff contender but is already proving to be a handful.

The Warriors

This is the same team we know and love - a brutal beautiful collection of basketball savants that pound their opponents into submission via their high-powered offense, before chocking them out with timely defense.

Basically, if you want to beat the Warriors, you aren’t going to generally outshoot them. The Warriors lead the league with an Offensive Rating of 115 points scored per 100 possessions. However you want to measure it, the Warriors score a lot, and they do so with precise efficiency most of the time - we don’t need to talk about the last game.

A perfect combination of talent, coaching, and system allows the Warriors to lead the league in eFG% - a statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the different impact of two- or three-point shot attempts. I bring this up because the last time these two teams faced off, the Warriors shot over 50% from deep - as a team! That resulted in a 135-114 blowout win that could have been even more lopsided if Kerr hadn’t sat most of the starters for the entire 4th quarter.

Assuming nothing goes haywire, this should be another win for the Warriors. Keeping in mind that most of the Warriors losses have come off of blown leads, this isn’t totally out of the question. Remember that the last time these two teams met, the Warriors and 76ers were tied midway through the 3rd quarter.

The 76ers

As much as the Celtics look like the near future in the East, these 76ers are still just a fledgling contender with a lot to prove. The promise is certainly there - Joel Embiid is averaging 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game; and probable rookie of the year Ben Simmons isn’t far behind with his line of 18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals per game.

But again, they’re not quite there just yet.

The Sixers somehow manage to turn the ball over at a greater rate than the Warriors. Even though the 76ers’ record sits at a respectable 8-6, they are one of those quirky teams that has a negative point differential - meaning they’ve actually been outscored by their opponents so far this season.

Looking at the results of the last game probably doesn’t provide much encouragement as both Philly stars struggled in their loss to the Warriors one week ago. Simmons had 13 points (on 17 shots), 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 turnovers. Embiid pitched in 12 points (on 11 shots) and seven rebounds, but turned the ball over seven times in that matchup.

Since then, Embiid beasted his way to 46 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks against the Lakers. As much respect as Draymond Green and Kevin Durant have for Embiid, he still needs to earn the right to talk smack against the vaunted Warriors frontcourt by doing something similarly dominant against us. Otherwise, he’s going to be stuck waiting for Robert Covington and JJ Reddick to shoot him to victory - which could be a loooong wait.

Prediction

Stomping.

Warriors are too much for Philly: 123-108.

Also, Klay Thompson records a block AND a dunk - you heard it here first!