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The old adage that it's tough to comeback from 20 points down on the road against a good team proved to be true.
The 76ers jumped out to an early lead, which grew to 8 points at one point after an 11-4 run in the first quarter. That quickly turned around after the Warriors outscored the 76ers 32-18 in the quarter.
While Jrue Holiday and the 76ers perimeter defenders did tremendous jobs on Stephen Curry (11 points on 5-11 from the field, 4 turnovers) and Klay Thompson (14 points on 5-14 from the field), reserve guard Jarrett Jack finished with 16 points 6 assists. Holiday and Turner struggled fighting through pick and rolls and frequently lost Jack off the ball, and Jack made them pay by hitting his perimeter shots.
Less surprisingly, the Warriors got major production from front court players David Lee (25 points, 12 rebounds) and Carl Landry (15 points, 11 rebounds off the bench). Thaddeus Young struggled to defend Lee down low and Lavoy Allen was late on his rotations. Overall, the 76ers big men (with Kwame Brown being somewhat of an exception) were extremely late on their defensive rotations, but that isn't exactly a new or unexpected problem.
Offensively, the 76ers struggled from the perimeter (5-20 from three), and more importantly struggled at the line (14-24). The 24 free throw attempts were one of the highest marks on the season for the 76ers, but for the second game in a row they were unable to capitalize.
Jrue Holiday ended up with 21 points and 10 assists, while holding Stephen Curry to 11 points on 11 shots, 6 assists and 4 turnovers.
Evan Turner struggled from the field, finishing with 10 points on 14 field goal attempts. but he did finish with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. He, along with Thaddeus Young, helped keep the 76ers competitive down the stretch with tipped balls leading to extra possessions and scoring opportunities.
Nick Young "led" the bench with 13 shots on 5-17 shooting. No other bench played scored major points, but Kwame Brown (8 rebounds in 16 minutes, along with solid defense) and Royal Ivey contributed. Jason Richardson was available, but did not play.
Thaddeus Young contributed 19 points (9-17), 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Lavoy Allen had 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Following up his great night, Spencer Hawes contributed 2 points and 1 rebound in 9 minutes. He did foul 5 times, so there's that.
The 76ers will continue their road trip at Portland Saturday night on the tail end of a back to back. Portland also is on the tail end of a back to back and will be traveling as well, having lost against the Lakers in LA. The Blazers have won 6 of their previous 8 and they will present Jrue Holiday with another tough (albeit entertaining) matchup with rookie guard Damian Lillard.
Player of the game: Jrue Holiday (21 points on 7-19 shooting, 10 assists, 3 turnovers)
Next up: @Portland, 10 PM Eastern time on Saturday night.
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