Account
Stephen Curry Goes off for 49 Points as Warriors Beat Joel Embiid, 76ers
April 20, 2021
The Golden State Warriors are back on track.
After snapping a four-game winning streak with a loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday, the Warriors upended the top team in the Eastern Conference, downing the Philadelphia 76ers, 107-96.
Stephen Curry recorded his 11th consecutive 30-point game, ending the night with 49 for the Warriors, who are fighting for a play-in spot in the Western Conference at 29-29.
The 76ers (39-18) were led by 28 points from Joel Embiid in the loss.
Notable Performers
- Stephen Curry, Warriors: 49 PTS (14-28 FG, 10-17 3PT, 11-12 FT)
- Joel Embiid, 76ers: 28 PTS (8-21 FG, 1-3 3PT, 11-14 FT), 13 REB, 8 AST
- Seth Curry, 76ers: 15 PTS, 5 AST
- Andrew Wiggins, Warriors: 16 PTS, 10 REB
Battered 76ers Can't Hold Strong Start
The 76ers entered Monday with a lengthy injury report: Ben Simmons, Dwight Howard, George Hill, Tobias Harris and Seth Curry were all listed as questionable with six hours to go until game time. That cleared up a bit later in the day, as Doc Rivers said Curry would play and Harris was "almost certainly out" with a right thumb injury.
Simmons also sat on Monday.
While the loss of Harris—the team's second-leading scorer—for his second consecutive game was notable, Philadelphia got some intriguing news with the clearance of Hill, who joined the squad in a three-team deal at the deadline.
Hill is averaging 11.8 points per game this season but hasn't played since Jan. 24 after undergoing hand surgery. He only logged six minutes in the first half, and with just 18 minutes, two points, two rebounds and two assists off the bench, the responsibility of leading the injury-ravaged 76ers fell to Embiid and Seth Curry, as expected.
By the break, the pair had combined for 32 of Philadelphia's 55 points, though they had help early on to set the tone of the game.
Philadelphia looked like it would dominate early, jumping out to a 12-0 lead, though it wasn't Embiid who headlined the run. Seth Curry dropped seven of those points, while Embiid was good for two and Furkan Korkmaz grabbed another (Embiid had the assist.)
Strong defense allowed Philadelphia to enter the break having forced 10 turnovers, with seven steals and having gotten six more shot attempts than the Warriors.
The back-and-forth continued through the break on both sides, though the scoring was slowed for both teams. Golden State pulled ahead with 20 points to Philadelphia's 15, setting up a five-point deficit for Philadelphia heading into the fourth.
That only grew as Stephen Curry went off in the fourth, despite an incredibly deep effort from a 76ers team that was lacking its second-biggest star.
Stephen Curry Single-Handedly Leads Warriors
The hardest part of facing the 76ers is taking on Embiid, and the Warriors got off easily the last time they played the top team in the East. Embiid didn't play on March 23, when the Warriors fell 108-98.
While Philadelphia's big was back Monday, Golden State lost its own, with James Wiseman undergoing season-ending knee surgery Thursday. Since the rookie went down, the Warriors have looked to Kevon Looney at center. He had a strong night on the boards, posting a new career-high with 15.
With Embiid on the other side to run up the score, Stephen Curry's presence—and his 31.0 points per game—was even more important. But it took him a minute to show up on Monday, and that allowed Philadelphia to get going early.
The elder Curry recovered by the end of the first quarter, hitting three threes and ending the quarter with 11 points, highlighted by a three at the buzzer that sent the teams into the second quarter tied 24-24.
Golden State controlled the pace for much of the second quarter, though Philadelphia started mounting a comeback to end the quarter tied. Stephen Curry added nine more points to keep the Warriors afloat.
He single-handedly kept the Warriors in it, with the group carrying its third-quarter momentum into the fourth and building a seven-point lead, what was their largest of the night until the final minutes. But the 76ers got right back in it before Golden State pulled away in the last 3:33 to play.
Andrew Wiggins and Damion Lee were the only other players scoring in double-digits, but they were light-years behind the leader with just 16 and 12 points each.
Even against a more balanced effort from the 76ers, who had six different players score at least 10 points, the Warriors were able to look to Stephen Curry to lead the charge against the top team in the East.
What's Next?
The Warriors will stay in the East for a Wednesday night tip against the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. ET.
Philadelphia will host the Phoenix Suns at the same time.