Warriors Beat Tobias Harris, 76ers 118-114 as Stephen Curry Sits with Illness

With no Stephen Curry and no Kevon Looney, the Golden State Warriors were still able to notch a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at Chase Center, 118-114. 

Following his long-awaited return after a broken hand sidelined him just four games into the season, Curry was ruled out for Saturday's contest with seasonal flu-like symptoms. Looney was sidelined for the fourth straight contest with left hip soreness and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. Draymond Green also remains out with a sore knee.

No matter, as the Warriors were able to defeat Philadelphia with Andrew Wiggins and Eric Paschall leading the way. 

The Sixers have struggled mightily on the road this season, compiling a 10-24 record away from Philly, though they snapped a nine-game road losing streak on Thursday with a victory at Sacramento. Those troubles pale in comparison to the Sixers' injury woes, as Ben Simmons missed his seventh straight game with back issues and Joel Embiid sat out for the fourth consecutive game with a sprained shoulder. Embiid is expected back on the court next week, while Philadelphia is hopeful Simmons can return before the playoffs begin. 

Entering Saturday, the Sixers were two games back of the Miami Heat for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, which would guarantee home-court advantage for at least the first round. 

Notable Performers

• Damion Lee, SG, Warriors: 24 points, six rebounds, three assists
• Eric Paschall, PF, Warriors: 23 points, six assists, three rebounds
• Tobias Harris, SF, 76ers: 24 points, four assists, four rebounds
• Al Horford, PF, 76ers: 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists

Robinson, Burks Get Best of Former Team 

Even since injuries began to plague the Warriors this season—about two games into the year—the talk in Golden State shifted from what the current roster construction could do in a stacked Western Conference to what the current players could fetch on the trade market. 

Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks were at the forefront of those discussions. Both signed with Golden State last offseason on club-friendly deals that appeared to give the team the depth to contend—at least until the injury bug came for the starting lineup.

With the extra playing time, Burks and Robinson proved their worth and were eventually shipped off to Philadelphia at the trade deadline for three second-round draft picks. On Saturday, they finally had a chance to make the Warriors regret that decision. 

Playing off the bench like the depth pieces they were meant to be in Golden State, Robinson (15 points, six rebounds) managed to score more than three of the Warriors' starters. Burks (11 points, four rebounds) outscored two of them himself. Neither were afraid to let their former team know about it.

On back-to-back possessions near the end of the third quarter, Robinson torched the defense only to look in the direction of Golden State's bench and shout a few words. The latter possession resulted in an and-one that momentarily put Philly up by 10. 

That, of course, wouldn't hold. Golden State outscored the Sixers 36-24 in the fourth quarter and secured the victory thanks to clutch play on both ends of the floor by Paschall and Marquese Chriss.

Paschall Continues Breakout Season 

Once the 2019-20 season comes to a conclusion, many will want to forget the Warriors even played at all this year. With Curry, Green, Looney and Klay Thompson all suffering through various injuries, there was little hope of contending for a title.

Instead, the Warriors focused on player development, and the outcome is well worth remembering. 

After being drafted 41st overall last summer, forward Eric Paschall has become one of the feel-good stories in the Bay Area in an otherwise down year. The ability to play Paschall for longer stretches than most second-round picks are usually afforded allowed the Villanova product a chance to prove himself. Through 59 games, he's averaging 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while seeing nearly 28 minutes per night. 

On Saturday, he showed he can be trusted to play those minutes in crunch time. 

"

️ AND ONE

 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/A4zaCIKj4m

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 8, 2020"

With 51.7 seconds remaining and the Warriors down by one, Paschall caught the ball at the top of the key and immediately went to work on Philadelphia forward Mike Scott. After a few fakes, Paschall made his move and attempted to get around Scott. Instead, he drew a foul, putting himself at the line with a chance to put the Warriors ahead for good. 

He did that with ease. Sinking both free throws and hustling back on defense immediately after. As the Warriors work on returning to prominence next season, they can feel somewhat gratified knowing 2019-20 wasn't a waste. It gave the team a chance to develop Paschall and, in the process, possibly extend the run of success Golden State has become known for. 

When the story of the Warriors' season is officially written, the first thing anyone will mention are the injuries. Paschall's play will be a close second. 

What's Next

With a four-game West Coast road trip finally complete, the Sixers head home to balance things out with a four-game homestand against Detroit, Indiana, Washington and Toronto. That stretch begins on Wednesday against the Pistons. The Warriors, meanwhile, play host to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in a nationally televised game on TNT at 9:30 p.m. ET.