Curry leads Golden State fightback after 76ers blitz

LOS ANGELES - Agence France-Presse

Stephen Curry scored 35 points as the Golden State Warriors bounced back from a disastrous first half performance to overpower the Philadelphia 76ers 124-116 on Nov. 18.

Curry erupted in a one-sided third quarter for the Warriors after the Sixers had stunned the reigning NBA champions with an astonishing 47-point first quarter display at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.

The points haul was the most the Warriors have conceded in a single quarter since giving up 48 points in the fourth quarter of a game against Portland in November 1992.

The Sixers led 47-28 after the first period and extended their lead to 74-52 at the break, leaving the Warriors staring at a potential blowout loss.

However Steve Kerr’s men came roaring back after half-time, and with Curry and Kevin Durant to the fore, put up their own 47-point quarter in the third. Curry rattled in 20 points alone in the third quarter as the Warriors erased a 22-point Sixers lead and quickly accelerated clear of their rivals.

By the end of the third, the Warriors had raced into a 99-89 lead, a comfortable buffer they never looked like relinquishing throughout the fourth.

Curry finished with 35 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Durant weighed in with 27 points five rebounds and three assists.

Ben Simmons led the scoring for the Sixers with 23 points while Joel Embiid had 21 points. Four other Sixers players -- Dario Saric, Robert Covington, J.J. Redick and Timothe Luwawu Cabarrot made double figures.

The Warriors improved to 12- 4 with the win while the Sixers fell to 8-7.

Elsewhere on Nov. 18, the Boston Celtics maintained their blistering form with a 15th straight victory, downing the Atlanta Hawks 110-99.

Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and forward Jaylen Brown added 27 as the Celtics improved to 15-2 to head the Eastern Conference.   

Boston’s current winning streak is the fifth-longest in franchise history, putting them within sight of the club record of 19 set in 2008.

The Houston Rockets meanwhile remained on top of the Western Conference standings at 13-4, after beating the Memphis Grizzlies 105-83.