Sixers Eye Fifth Straight Win as Short-Handed Warriors Await
The Philadelphia 76ers are rolling into Tuesday night with a shot at something they haven’t done all season: win five straight games. That opportunity comes against a Golden State Warriors team missing more than just a few key names. And while it’s the second half of a back-to-back for Philly - their tenth such test this season - the momentum is firmly on their side.
Let’s start with last night. The Sixers took care of business against the Clippers, who were without James Harden, but the real story was Dominick Barlow.
The 21-year-old forward had himself a night, dropping a career-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting and grabbing 16 boards. Sprinkle in a couple of steals, and you’ve got the kind of performance that turns heads - and maybe earns a few more minutes moving forward.
It was a breakout moment, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
That win marked Philly’s fourth in a row - their longest streak since opening the season 4-0. Now, they’ll try to stretch it to five, but they’ll have to do it on the road, in the Bay, on tired legs.
The Sixers are 6-3 this season when playing on zero days rest, so they’ve proven they can handle the grind. Still, this one comes with the added challenge of a late 10 p.m.
ET tip-off and the usual unpredictability of back-to-back availability.
Joel Embiid suited up last night and dropped 24 points, but he hasn’t played a single game this season on no rest. That makes it likely we won’t see him on the floor tonight.
Meanwhile, Paul George remains out, serving a 23-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. As for the rest of the roster, we’ll have to wait for the official injury report later in the day - not uncommon for West Coast games.
Now, let’s talk about the Warriors. This is not the Golden State team we’re used to seeing.
Steph Curry - still the heartbeat of the franchise and averaging 27.2 points per game while hitting 39.1% from deep on a staggering 11.5 attempts per night - is out with knee soreness. That’s a massive blow.
Without Curry, Golden State’s offense takes a serious hit, with their offensive rating plummeting from 119.3 with him to just 104.9 without.
And it’s not just Steph. Jimmy Butler, the team’s second-leading scorer at 20.0 points per game, is done for the season after tearing his ACL in January. Jonathan Kuminga, Seth Curry, and LJ Cryer are all out as well, and Moses Moody is listed as probable with knee soreness.
This is a Warriors team missing its firepower. Curry alone accounts for 20% of the team’s made threes this season - and he’s only played in 39 of their 50 games.
For context, he’s hit 488 triples this year. The next closest Warrior?
Moses Moody with 277. That’s not just a gap - it’s a canyon.
Even when Curry’s been available, Golden State hasn’t exactly been lighting it up. They’re 27-23 on the season, sitting eighth in the West, and have dropped four of their last six. This is a team trying to stay afloat, not dominate.
The last time these two teams met - back on December 4 - the Sixers pulled off a dramatic 99-98 win. Rookie VJ Edgecombe hit the go-ahead bucket, and Tyrese Maxey sealed it with a clutch block on De’Anthony Melton as the final seconds ticked away. Curry didn’t play in that one either.
So here we are again. A short-handed Warriors squad.
A Sixers team riding a hot streak. Yes, it’s a back-to-back.
Yes, it’s a late start. But this is a golden chance for Philly to keep the momentum going and stack another win before heading home.
Anything less than a victory tonight would feel like leaving something on the table.
Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET.