Forget moral victories; Sixers feel they let one slip away against Warriors

LOS ANGELES – The 76ers are no longer into moral victories.

But the defending NBA champion Warriors (10-3) responded with a 20-4 run to take a commanding 94-78 lead en route to their six straight blowout victory.

"There are parts of it that I think you will find positives in," Brown said, "but we feel like we're past that."

It didn't matter that the Warriors are favored to win their third NBA title in four seasons. The Sixers (6-6) look at Saturday's setback as a missed opportunity.

For now, they'll try to snap their two-game skid on Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. Afterward, the Sixers will look to beat the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night in the same arena.

However, it was obvious that they're looking forward to this upcoming Saturday's game with Golden State at Wells Fargo Center.

"We will be better prepared," swingman Robert Covington said. "We have an idea how they are going to play. And we are [going to make] it be a different outcome."

If so, they better correct things.

The Sixers struggled in transition defense. The Warriors also shot 51.9 percent (14 of 27) on three-pointers. That percentage and the margin of victory could have been higher. However, Golden State coach Steve Kerr basically started resting his starters at the end of the third quarter. Even still, they had a commanding 26-point cushion with 7:40 remaining.

By that time, Kevin Durant had already cooled on the bench.

The 6-foot-11 forward finished with 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting – including 3 of 6 on three-pointers – in 28 minutes, 3 seconds of action. The all-star sat out the fourth quarter.

The Warriors' other all-stars also shined. Warriors guard Klay Thompson made 4 of 6 three-pointers en route to finishing with 23 points. Stephen Curry added 22 points while making 3 of 8 threes. Like Durant, Curry sat out of the final quarter. And forward Draymond Green finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks.

In addition to an inability to stop the Warriors, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons both had subpar outings.

Simmons finished with 13 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 turnovers. The point guard shot just 6 for 17 from the field. Embiid scored 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting and finished with seven rebounds and seven turnovers.

They'll both look to improve on their performances Monday against the Clippers (5-7). This matchup will also be a homecoming for JJ Redick and Amir Johnson.

Redick spent the past four seasons with the Clippers before signing a one-year $23 million deal with the Sixers in July. Meanwhile, Johnson is a Los Angeles native. The reserve center signed a one-year $11 million deal in July.