VJ Edgecombe made the winning putback with 0.9 seconds left and Tyrese Maxey saved the game on the other end, lifting the Philadelphia 76ers to a wild 99-98 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Maxey led the Sixers with 35 points, while Joel Embiid (12), Quentin Grimes (12) and Edgecombe (10) also scored in double figures. Philadelphia recovered after blowing a 24-point lead, including an 18-point advantage earlier in the fourth quarter.
Pat Spencer scored 16 points to lead the short-handed Warriors, who have lost six of their last eight games. Golden State played without Steph Curry (quad) and Jimmy Butler (knee), while Draymond Green (leg) limped off after only nine minutes.
The Warriors trailed by 18 early in the fourth before embarking on a 15-0 run. De’Anthony Melton’s long jumper capped that surge, bringing the visitors within 84-81 with 6:22 to play.
Gui Santos’ spinning layup put Golden State up by a point with 2:39 left, and then Spencer drained a 3-pointer with 1:12 remaining to put the Warriors ahead 98-94.
Grimes’ three-point play made it a 98-97 game and then Edgecombe stole an inbounds pass with 8.2 seconds left, giving the Sixers a final chance. On the ensuing possession, Maxey’s fadeaway came up short, but Edgecombe caught the airball and banked it in.
Golden State quickly inbounded the ball downcourt to Melton, who had gotten behind the Philadelphia defense, but Maxey blocked Melton’s lefty layup from behind at the buzzer.
The game was tied 5-5 early on, but Philadelphia went on to score 22 consecutive points. Golden State went 7 minutes, 14 seconds without a point during that stretch and trailed 30-10 after one quarter.
The Warriors shot 4 of 24 in the opening quarter, including 2-for-15 from beyond the arc. Their 10 points marked the fewest any NBA team has scored in a quarter this season and the fewest the Warriors have scored in a quarter since coach Steve Kerr joined the team in 2014.
The Sixers led 56-34 at halftime and then took their largest lead at 67-43 early in the third quarter, but Golden State inched within 80-66 heading into the fourth.
