PHILADELPHIA — Kevin Durant had 27 points in his return to the lineup and the Golden State Warriors overcame the worst 3-point shooting performance of Stephen Curry’s career in a 119-108 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Curry was 0 for 11 from 3-point range. That topped his previous worst outing without making a 3 when he went 0 for 10 from distance on Nov. 4 against the Lakers. The two-time reigning MVP entered leading the league by a wide margin with 231 3-pointers this season.
Curry still had 19 points, making 7 of 12 2-point attempts and all five of his free-throw tries.
Klay Thompson scored 21 points and Draymond Green had 14 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and five steals for the Warriors, who opened a five-game East Coast trip by winning their fourth in a row and boosting their NBA-best record to 50-9. Durant returned after missing a game with a right hand injury.
Dario Saric had 21 points for Philadelphia, which once again played without big man Joel Embiid. The 76ers announced earlier Monday that Embiid would be out indefinitely after experiencing swelling and soreness in his left knee following recent practices. Embiid leads the team with 20.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game but has missed 14 straight games and 17 of the last 18.
The Warriors took control in the third quarter, using a 12-3 run over the first 2:31 of the period to turn a three-point halftime edge into a 71-59 cushion. The lead grew to 84-70 with 3:41 left in the third on Durant’s two free throws.
Philadelphia tried to make it a game, but Golden State had too much firepower, even as it made just 6 of 29 from deep.
Golden State missed 15 of its 16 3-point attempts in the first half. Curry’s shooting woes began on his first 3-point attempt when he launched an air ball, and he missed the rim again later in the first quarter.
Curry displayed his frustration throughout the first half with head shakes, leg slaps and some choice words to himself.
NOTES
- Curry followed up his miserable performance against the Lakers by setting an NBA record with 13 made 3-pointers on Nov. 7 against New Orleans. He remained three 3-pointers shy of tying Kobe Bryant for 11th on the NBA career list with 1,827.
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