Stephen Curry, Warriors Criticized By NBA Fans for Loss to 76ers with Joel Embiid Out

The Golden State Warriors entered Saturday on a five-game winning streak to play a Philadelphia 76ers team that had lost nine straight.

Both streaks ended as the 76ers stunned the Warriors 126-119 in Philadelphia.

The Warriors' loss could be boiled down to four main factors.

First, Philadelphia guard Quentin Grimes dropped 44 points on 18-of-24 shooting (6-of-9 from three) to go along with six rebounds and three steals. It was a sorely needed effort for Philadelphia, which is 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 21-38 record and has officially lost star center Joel Embiid for the season due to left knee issues.

Second, the 76ers outscored the Warriors by 19 points when Stephen Curry was on the bench. Curry was sensational, dropping 29 points (on 10-of-18 shooting) and 13 assists two days after he scored 56 against the Orlando Magic.

With Curry on the court, Golden State outscored Philadelphia by 12 points even without Jimmy Butler, who missed the game due to back spasms.

Third, of course, was the loss of Butler. The Warriors are 7-1 with Butler on the court after his arrival via trade from the Miami Heat. They could have used his services tonight, especially when Curry wasn't on the floor.

And fourth, the Warriors missed far too many shots at the rim.

All that led to a recipe for disaster, and Golden State took a tough loss to a team that's more or less playing out the string at this point.

The Warriors, at 32-28, sit seventh in the Western Conference and are fighting just to make the playoffs. A loss to Philadelphia certainly didn't help matters.

Golden State will hope to get back in the win column when it visits the 14-45 Charlotte Hornets, losers of six straight and 15 of their last 17, on Monday evening.