by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Warriors, facing a young and uo-and-coming team for the second game in a row, broke the game wide open in the third period and coasted to victory 135-114.

The Sixers came to town with a reciord of 6-5 and finally have the services of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Sixers drafter Embiid in the first round of the 2014 drafy but missed two seasons due to injury. Their number one draft pick of 2015, Ben Simmons, was also available as he missed yhe entire 2016 season. These two players plus the addition of J J Redick who came to the Sixers as a free agent after starring with the LA Clippers. Robert Covington and Dario Saric have played very well this year and the Sixers’ starting five is quite formidable.

The Warriors and Sixers played a very competetive first half. Neither team could break away. The lead changed several times in the first half and the Sixers, Coached bt Brett Brown, looked like a carbon copy of the Warriors. They moved the ball well as they found the open man. They made five  3-point shots in the first half and had 18 assists. The Sixers shot 52% from the floor. The Warriors led by the Big Three of Kevid Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson. Durant led the team wit 20, Steph kicked in with 15 and Klay knocked down 12. Draymond Green had six as did JaVale McGee. The half ended with the Warriors leading 65-64.

The third quarter, as usual, belonged to the Warriors. They outscored the Sixers 36-21 in the period. With the tied at 74, the Warriors went on a 20-4 to take the lead 94-78. Nick Young jump started the offense with two-pointers and Kevon Looney made a key block. Young had three-3-pointers in the period and Klay Thompson and Steph Curry each made a three. The Warriors finished the third period with a sixteen-point lead 101-85 as they showed the Sixers why they are one of the best defensive units in the NBA.

Durant and Curry did not play at all in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson made two 3-point shots early in the quarter. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr removed Thompson and Draymond Green from the game and the Warriors showed their depth as the second unit continued the impressive showing on offense as well as defense. Nick Young, Omri Casspi, Patrick McCaw, David West, and Jordan Bell were on the floor for most of the quarter.

Game Notes and Stats- Kevin Durant, who did not play Wednesday night, returned to action Saturday night. He was a force on offense as well as on defense. KD tallied 29 points. He had four assists, five rebounds, and he blocked two shots. Durant made three 3-pointers, too. Steph’s line was 22 points,nine assists, four rebounds, and he also made three 3-pointers. Klay finished with 23 and he made four 3-pointers. Draymond Green recorded a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and he had seven assists and he blocked five shots. The other Warriors in double figures were Nick Young with 13 and JaVale McGee with 11. McGee and Youn both sparked the Warriors offense when they entered the game. All five of Philadelphia’s starters were in double figures. Redick led the Sixers with 17, Saric 14, Covington 11, Embiid 12, Simmons 13.

The Warriors won their sixth in a row and  ninth in the last ten games as they improve to 10-3. The Warriors have won the last six games by a margin greater than 17 points for the first time in the 71-year history of the team. The Sixers fall to 6-6.

Steph Curry had to leave the game in the second quarter with an inhury to his thigh. After a short break for treatment, he returned to action without any ill effect.

The Warriors gave a championship ring before the game to James Michael McAdoo who signed with the Sixers as a free agent in the off-season. McAdoo received a nice ovation from the fans when he was inserted into the game in the fourth quarter.

Coach Steve Kerr texted with him leading up to the game.

“I’m thrilled that he was here, and I thought it was a great gesture by the Sixers to make sure he was here,” Kerr said. “I know he’ll get a huge ovation from the crowd tonight, he deserves it.”

Steph Curry made the following remarks regarding the controversy that he was unpatriotic by not wanting to visit the White House.

Curry made clear “I care about our veterans deeply” in a piece he wrote for The Players’ Tribune that published Saturday for Veterans Day expressing his support for the troops and explaining his stance — even if he didn’t want to visit the Trump White House.

The two-time MVP said: “… When someone tells me that my stances, or athlete stances in general, are `disrespecting the military’ — which has become a popular thing to accuse peaceful protesters of — it’s something that I’m going to take very, very seriously. One of the beliefs that I hold most dear is how proud I am to be an American — and how incredibly thankful I am for our troops. I know how fortunate I am to live in this country, and to do what I do for a living, and to raise my daughters in peace and prosperity. But I also hear from plenty of people who don’t have it nearly as good as I do. Plenty of people who are genuinely struggling in this country. Especially our veterans.

“And every single veteran I’ve spoken to, they’ve all said pretty much the exact same thing: That this conversation we’ve started to have in the world of sports … whether it’s been Colin (Kaepernick) kneeling, or entire NFL teams finding their own ways to show unity, or me saying that I didn’t want to go to the White House — it’s the opposite of disrespectful to them.”

Kerr applauded his superstar again.

“I thought it was beautiful,” Kerr said. “He’s very thoughtful, he’s very compassionate, very smart and he’s humble. I’ve made the comment before that he is incredibly arrogant on the floor and humble off the court. I think that’s a really powerful combination. … When he speaks it’s from the heart.”

The Warriors face another young team that appears to be on the way up in the NBA. They meet the Orlando Magic Monday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.