After spending nearly all of the last two weeks on the road, the Dubs come home for the first of three straight home games on Tuesday against the 76ers.
Warriors vs. 76ersTuesday, March 147:30 p.m.Oracle Arena
WATCH: CSN Bay Area, NBA TV
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Radio Network
TIME TO COME HOME AGAIN
After traveling about 12,000 miles over the last two weeks, the Warriors are ready for a home-heavy stretch of the schedule. Owners of the league’s best home record (26-4), the Dubs will play 11 of their 16 remaining regular season games at Oracle Arena, and it starts on Tuesday when the Dubs open a three-game homestand against the Philadelphia 76ers. The homecoming will close out the season series between the two teams, as the Dubs beat the Sixers 119-108 at the start of their recently completed stretch of eight games in eight cities. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and fans will be able to watch the action on CSN Bay Area and NBA TV, or listen to the call on 95.7 The Game, or the Warriors Radio Network.
LAST TIME OUT
Ian Clark had a career-high 36 points on a night in which the Dubs rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, and the Warriors suffered their fifth loss in the last seven games with their 107-85 loss to the Spurs. Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
GSW
52-14
1st in West
116.3 PPG (1st)
44.6 RPG (7th)
30.3 APG (1st)
PHI
23-42
14th in East
101.8 PPG (26th)
42.8 RPG (25th)
23.5 APG (9th)
PROJECTED STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Patrick McCaw, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia
PHI: T.J. McConnell, Nik Stauskas, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Jahlil Okafor
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Kevin Durant (left knee) is out. Damian Jones (D-League assignment) is not with team. Team Notes
PHI: Jerryd Bayless (left wrist surgery), Joel Embiid (left knee injury), Ben Simmons (acute fracture, right foot) and Tiago Splitter (right calf strain) are out. Team Notes
SILVER LINING
It’s hard to say that a team can build confidence after losing five out of their last seven games and seeing their leading scorer and rebounder go down with injury. But the team has to feel good about Ian Clark. He has been struggling to find consistent playing time in recent weeks, but it’s safe to say that he has earned more minutes with his play as of late. After knocking down four of seven shots in Minnesota on Friday, Clark had a career-best 36 points on 15-for-21 shooting the next night in San Antonio. He has now knocked down seven of his last eight 3-point attempts, and while it’s unrealistic to keep up that pace, the Warriors can certainly benefit if Clark can continue to provide a consistent source of scoring off the bench. On Saturday, he scored in several different ways. He drove, he cut and he knocked down shots off of screens and off the dribble. That versatility will be a valuable commodity for a second unit that ranks 27th in bench scoring.
TEAM LEADERS
GSW
PTS: Durant (25.3)
REB: Durant (8.2)
AST: Green (7.1)
PHI
PTS: Embiid (20.2)
REB: Embiid (7.8)
AST: McConnell (6.1)
PHILADELPHIA SCOUTING REPORT
For the Sixers, it’s a different season but the same story: Their roster is decorated with young talent but injuries are preventing them from the team’s core building any kind of continuity. 2016 number one draft pick Ben Simmons suffered a foot injury in September and has yet to play in an NBA game, and rookie Joel Embiid was on the rookie-of-the-year track before injury cut his season short to just 31 games. Still, the Sixers have another rookie of the year candidate in Dario Saric. The 22-year-old Croatian forward has averaged 18.9 points over the last 15 games, all of which he has scored in double figures. Still, the Sixers are 23-42 and have lost seven of their last eight games heading into Sunday’s game against the Lakers.