Warriors Snap Win Streak At The Hands Of The Sixers: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Golden State Warriors’ only game with under 110 points of offensive production in the month of January came at home on Thursday night. For any team, losing two games in the stretch of a month is extraordinary.

The defending champions seemed to be unbeatable throughout their eleven game win streak - no shooting slumps, no drama, and no health issues. The introduction of DeMarcus Cousins in the middle of the run added to the Warriors’ intimidation factor toward the rest of the league. Last night, the Warriors reminded the NBA they were human - too many turnovers, poor offensive execution in the second half, and lack of activeness on the boards.

Here it is the good, the bad, and ugly from last night’s loss:

The Good

It would be too easy to point to Stephen Curry’s 41 points, attempt at late game heroics, and taunts toward Reggie Miller on the sidelines. Though Curry razzled-and-dazzled beyond the arc, his turnovers outshined what would have been a great performance. So, Alfonzo McKinnie and Kevon Looney deserve a portion of the cheers.

McKinnie made his first start for the absent Klay Thompson. How would we fare against former all-star, Jimmy Butler? McKinnie kept him quiet - playing active defense and continually moving without the ball on offense. Butler finished the night 3 of 12. And on the offensive end, he contributed to an early lead by starting the game 4 of 4 from the field. The team even ran a set play to set him up for a lob dunk. Whenever he is inserted into the rotation and against the right opponent, McKinnie makes the most of his minutes.

The Sixers were the perfect match up to rely on McKinnie and Looney vs. Bell and Jerebko. The two former provide better matchups up and down the opposing team’s roster as well as options for when the Warriors’ superstars are trapped on offense. McKinnie and Looney were gifted easy buckets cutting to the rim and remained active on offense to follow missed shots. It is tough to say who Kerr will go to when he solidifies a “second-unit” in the Boogie-era. Judging by the five early assists from Cousins, it is clear that McKinnie and Looney fit in that system.

The Bad

The Warriors and Sixers sit atop the league when it comes to team assists. Last night the two were pretty identical - both shot 47% from the field, the Sixers scored 44 points in the paint to the Warriors 46, committed the same number of fouls, and gave up a lot of turnovers.

The biggest variance came on the glass. Offensive rebounds favored the Sixers sixteen to nine and on the defensive end they edged the Warriors by five. Prior to the first half’s end, the TNT crew for the night, Brian Anderson and Reggie Miller said the Sixers were one of the league’s best first half teams whereas the Warriors make their mark in the third - boy were they wrong.

Things started to go downhill for the Warriors when Joel Embiid bumped Cousins on a driving layup. In the ensuing Sixers possession, they cut the Warriors’ lead to three. As Kerr’s rotation sits at the moment, Kevon Looney subs for the visibly fatigued Cousins. And though Looney chipped in 14 points off the bench, the mismatch with Embiid proved to be too much. After a slow first half and on the receiving end of a Boogie Cousins stare down, Embiid had his way - notching 26 points to go along with 20 “grown-man” rebounds.

For players not named Curry, McKinnie, and Looney - it was a rough offensive night. Last night’s game was especially cruel to Quinn Cook. None was as glaring as the six point swing at the hands of rookie Landry Shamet. After getting blocked by the rook on a fast break layup, Cook committed a foul that led to a four point play. In a half where the Sixers’ big three could not get things going - the Warriors could have capitalized on these opportunities or banked on Thompson’s usual minutes. Cook’s 2017-18 fast-paced energy and spark offense has taken a back seat throughout the team’s win streak. Warriors fans can only hope that “late regular season” can make an appearance post All-Star break.

The Ugly


There was good and bad Klay Thompson news yesterday. Even though the media labeled much of Thompson’s first half of the season a “slump,” the premier two-way shooting guard notched his fifth all-star appearance.


Shortly after the announcement of all-star reserves, the Warriors reported that Thompson would sit out due to illness. The Warriors are a sub .500 team when he sits out. And it was not until Brian Anderson and Reggie Miller mentioned it that things started to go down hill. This was not the first time the national broadcasting duo did this last night - what looked like a routine three point play by Stephen Curry in the opening minutes of the game turned into a streak broken and a jinx waiting to happen. That’s not to say Anderson and Miller had any bearing on the outcome - but it does yearn for a closer look.

How did the Warriors lose the game? The turnovers? The Sixers turned the ball over more last night. Losing the Rebound battle? Expected some nights, and the Warriors (for the most part) figure a way to manage.

Though Jimmy Butler shot 3-12, JJ Redick hit crucial threes when his team needed it the most. Throughout the stretch, Klay put the clamps on all his assignments, most notably when he was tasked to guard Kyrie Irving. Had Klay been in the lineup against the Sixers he would have guarded two young Sixers - Landry Shamet and Jonah Bolden (among others) - who were a combined 5 of 7 from beyond the arc.

If this loss proved anything it was Klay Thompson’s all-star case. Though the Warriors can win without some of its superstar talents, Thompson allows the defense to switch more frequently and the offense to rely less on hero-ball down the stretch.