The matchup on Saturday night was not the one people were expecting when the schedule came out in the summer. There was no Stephen Curry or Draymond Green for the Golden State Warriors and there was no Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, or Josh Richardson for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The game still brought entertainment.
The Warriors used their youth and constant energy to rally late and stun the Sixers 118-114. Rookie Eric Paschall made two big free throws with 51.7 seconds left to give Golden State the lead before Al Horford, Mike Scott, and Shake Milton all missed chances to give Philadelphia the lead before Mychal Mulder sealed it with free throws for Golden State.
Damion Lee, who had a huge And-1 late, led the Warriors with 24 points and Paschall had 23.
Furkan Korkmaz had a costly turnover late with the Sixers down three. As he was trying to set himself up for a game-tying triple, he stepped out of bounds and that all but sealed it late.
Tobias Harris, who led Philadelphia with 24 points, made every clutch play down the stretch for the Sixers, but it was not enough on this one. Horford had another terrific game of 22 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists while Glenn Robinson III had 15 points and Milton had 14 with Alec Burks scoring 11.
Robinson III and Burks played in their first games back in San Francisco since being sent to Philadelphia at the trade deadline.
The Sixers were in a position for a 2-2 road trip, but instead will finish at 1-3 and will return home on Wednesday to host the Detroit Pistons. [lawrence-related id=27281,27260,27273]