By: Eric He
The Golden State Warriors needed a last-second three-pointer by Harrison Barnes to escape with a win over the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
The Warriors led by 19 points entering the fourth quarter, but the bench squandered the lead and when the starters returned, they were sloppy and lackadaisical. Down 103-90 with under four minutes to play, the 76ers went on a 15-2 run to tie the game when Isaiah Canaan stole the ball at midcourt and Ish Smith evened the score with a lay-up.
The defending champions were bailed out, however, on the final possession when Draymond Green found Harrison Barnes for a corner triple, which he buried with two-tenths of a second left, essentially winning the game.
For the longest time, it seemed like another easy win for the Warriors against a 7-40 Philadelphia squad. They put up 73 points in the first half and held a 19-point advantage at halftime. But it all went awry in the second half, where the Warriors were outscored by 16 points and got away with it.
“If the gods delivered what should have happened, we probably should have lost because that’s what happens when you mess around with the game and the ball,” Steve Kerr said to the media.
Klay Thompson led the way with 32 points while Stephen Curry added 23.
The Warriors play the Knicks tomorrow in Madison Square Garden.
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