When the guy you let beat you ends up with a career night in the first half, chances are it’s going to be a long night. For the Sixers on Monday night against the Warriors at the Wells Fargo Center, the night could have lasted forever.
Ex-Sixer Andre Iguodala buried a career-high seven three-pointers -- he hit six of them in the first half -- for 32 points in the Warriors’ 110-90 victory over the Sixers (see Instant Replay). Though the Sixers fell behind by 20 points for the third straight game, there was no magical comeback this time.
The Warriors, and Iguodala, were just too good.
“The guys we let beat us, beat us,” said Evan Turner, who led the Sixers with 18 points. “You can’t go bucket to bucket with a team that can score like that.
“Look at the stat sheet -- the guys who usually make the threes didn’t make them tonight.”
Turner is right about that. Sharp-shooter Stephen Curry went 2 for 9 from beyond the arc, but he did a bunch of other things to make up for his poor shooting. Curry scored 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 12 assists for the second triple-double in the NBA this season (see 5 observations). Curry also had five steals and was the catalyst in forcing the Sixers into a season-high 24 turnovers.
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Iguodala’s shooting (7 for 11 from three-point range, 11 for 18 overall) mixed with the turnovers was “deflating,” according to Sixers head coach Brett Brown.
“I think it gets deflating when you turn it over and they run and punish you with threes,” Brown said. “They’re a skilled team in the open court. I think it gets deflating when that happens.”
Still, it was a bit of sweet revenge for Iguodala, who did not receive the warmest of ovations when he was introduced before the game. Traded to Denver after the 2011-12 season in the ill-fated Andrew Bynum deal, Iguodala returned to the Wells Fargo Center with Denver last year and had a poor game.
This time, though, Iguodala couldn’t miss. Maybe he can thank his friend Turner for the motivation.
“Evan actually texted me right after they beat the Bulls. He was kind of talking trash,” Iguodala said. “He said you’re next. He’s the ultimate competitor, no matter who he’s going against. Actually, I wanted to shut him out tonight. I wasn’t even thinking about scoring.”
Iguodala scored 11 points in the first quarter and had 16 more in the second. After the third quarter, he sat down after playing just 20 seconds of the fourth.
“It was almost kind of like a high school game, where you get it going and you can’t miss,” Iguodala said.
Though Iguodala downplayed the revenge factor, saying playing against the Sixers is no big deal. After all, he’s playing for his second team in as many seasons and only Turner, Spencer Hawes, Thad Young and Lavoy Allen remain from his last season with the Sixers.
However, Warriors coach Mark Jackson wasn’t buying it.
“It’s no secret: You want to kill them,” Jackson said. “You say all the right things beforehand, just in case it doesn’t work out, but your mindset is to make a statement.”
Mix the revenge factor with a Sixers’ defense that was packed in the paint in attempt to keep Andrew Bogut and David Lee off the boards while shadowing Curry and Klay Thompson on the perimeter, Iguodala had plenty of time to hit the wide-open shots.
“He changed the game in the first half,” Brown said.
If the turnovers and Iguodala’s shooting weren’t demoralizing enough, the Sixers’ shooting ruined what self-confidence was left. The Sixers shot 35 percent from the field, including 22 for 51 (43.1 percent) from the paint. While the Warriors hit 15 three-pointers, the Sixers went 9 for 37 (24.3 percent) on shots outside the paint.
The result was a 39-point deficit for the Sixers in the third quarter.
Ouch.
“I think we were careless with the ball. I give [the Warriors] credit,” Brown said. “They’re a very underrated defensive team. They’re noted for their offense and they’re noted for their barrage of three-point threats and scorers, but they actually are an excellent defensive team with all the pieces. … I give them credit defensively, but I admit we were sloppy. We were careless. Some of that was a result of their good defense.”
Then again, after three straight improbable wins, the Sixers had to come down to earth at some point (see story). If there was one team it wasn’t going to be able to run against and wear down, it was the Warriors.
The Sixers will get another look at the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Last Friday, the Sixers overcame a 20-point deficit to stun the Wizards with a late surge in the second game of the year.