In a game the Sixers should have won easily, they needed more than 60 points from their bench and an extra period to defeat the bottom-feeding Warriors at home. As is typical with a Golden State game, minimal defense was played, and the Sixers scored 64 points in the first half - led by 17 from Louis Williams.
But they went cold in the third quarter and let the Warriors back in the game as the game wound down. Watching a double-digit lead evaporate quickly, the Sixers stayed afloat with efficient games from Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young (at center!), and Andre Iguodala. Unfortunately, that coincided with a terrific fourth quarter from hot-and-cold scorer Monta Ellis. 'Ta would go on to finish with 27 points on 27 shots, but it was the last few three-pointers in regulation that kept Sixers fans out of breath. Despite a 4-point lead and some clutch shots from Andre, two bombs from Ellis put the game into overtime.
Then rookie Evan Turner really took over. He got his hands on a ton of loose balls, forced his way into the lane, and brought the house down with a couple monstrous dunks. Turner played smart basketball throughout, but it really showed in the second half when he scored 18 of his 20 points and made it clear in the minds of Sixers fans that he will keep getting better. Here's what Evan said to Meredith after the game.
I feel great. When I get the opportunity to play, I try to execute it and make the most out of every opportunity. I just want to play.
Evan would finish with 20, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in a 28 minute run. He gave a lot of credit to Iguodala, who recorded his second straight triple double in the game's final moments on a fast break assist to Turner. By that point the game was out of reach and the Sixers finished with the win at 125 to 117.
The Sixers now move to two games over .500 for the first time this season and will pick up a game on either the Hawks or the Knicks depending on what transpires with the end of that game tonight.