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Fans Criticize Klay Thompson, Warriors for Play without Steph Curry in Loss vs. 76ers
December 17, 2022
It's safe to say the Golden State Warriors on the floor Friday were not the Golden State Warriors who lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy at the end of last season.
Golden State lost its third game in a row and its fifth in its last six with a 118-106 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The reigning champions are now just 14-16 on the season and an abysmal 2-14 on the road.
To be fair, they had plenty of valid excuses Friday that went beyond just the daunting task of facing Joel Embiid and James Harden.
Stephen Curry is expected to miss "a few weeks" with a left shoulder injury, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Andrew Wiggins was also sidelined with an adductor strain, while Draymond Green was out with a right quad contusion.
Any chance Golden State had at notching a stunning upset on the road without that much firepower seemed to come down to whether Klay Thompson could rediscover his Saturday form when he dropped 34 points against the Boston Celtics. However, he went an ugly 4-of-17 from the field, made some defensive mistakes and drew criticism from social media:
It wasn't all bad for the Warriors, as Donte DiVincenzo drilled five three-pointers in the first quarter alone as the visitors jumped out to an early lead and took a two-point advantage into halftime.
Jordan Poole also found his stroke on the way to 29 points, while Kevon Looney threatened a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Still, it was only a matter of time before the 76ers would find their footing against a depleted Warriors squad. The only way the visitors would keep up with Embiid and Harden was if DiVincenzo stayed on fire after the first quarter and Thompson looked like the prime version of himself, and neither thing happened.
Perhaps the future Hall of Famer can turn things around Sunday when Golden State faces the Toronto Raptors on the road at Scotiabank Arena.