Josh Richardson (C) of the San Antonio Spurs shoots in the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, U.S., March 20, 2022. /CFP
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Golden State Warriors 110-108 at Chase Center on Sunday, staying hopeful for the play-in tournament.
Josh Richardson became the most surprising weapon for the Spurs on Sunday night, shooting 8 for 12 in field goals (FGs) and draining three triples to score team-high 25 points. His size and athleticism played a key role in the team's offense when they ran out of options.
But the most dramatic play happened in the last possession of the game. The score was 107-107 when Andrew Wiggins earned two free throws at 0:03 for the Warriors. He made the first one but missed the second one. His teammate Kevon Looney was called a foul when he was competing for a rebound with Jakob Poeltl, leading to two free throws for the Spurs with 2.4 seconds left.
Keldon Johnson (C) of the San Antonio Spurs shoots in the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, U.S., March 20, 2022. /CFP
Poeltl made the first free throw, tying the score 108-108 for his team, but he missed the second one. Somehow, Wiggins and Klay Thompson competed with each other for the rebound, and neither got it. The ball fell into the hands of Keldon Johnson, who then made an open layup to put the Spurs back on top 110-108 with only 0.3 seconds left.
"I crashed in, and I think somebody tipped it, and I just grabbed it and turned around and put it up," Johnson said. "I was like, I just want to get it off in time."
After Sunday's win, the Spurs surpassed the Portland Trail Blazers to rank 11th in the Western Conference with a 28-44 record. They are only 2.5 games behind the 10th Los Angeles Lakers.
Klay Thompson (C) of the Golden State Warriors shoots in the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, U.S., March 20, 2022. /CFP
Though Thompson missed the Warriors' desperate 3-pointer from the right corner, he was the team's best-shooting guy from downtown, where he shot 6 for 12 o get 24 points. Jordan Poole led the Warriors in score with 28 points. The two-plus Otto Porter Jr., who contributed a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds off the bench, were why the game remained so close even after the ejection of Draymond Green.
The Warriors continue to rank third in the West with a 47-24 record. They are two games above the fourth Utah Jazz and 1.5 games behind the second Memphis Grizzlies.
"These last 12 games, that's the challenge. Can we be one of the best defensive teams in the league again," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. "There's no reason why we can't. … If we can defend at a high level, we think that will translate to good offense."
James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on in the game against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 20, 2022. /CFP
Harden's underperformance cost the 76ers a home game
The Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 93-88 at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday to secure their sixth win in the past seven games.
Though their franchise looked completely different from the franchise that made Joel Embiid cry in the playoffs three years ago, the Raptors still had enough resources to make Embiid suffer.
When Embiid had the ball an posted up, there was always another defender coming from his weak side trying to double-team him. If Embiid wanted to launch offense facing the rim, he should be ready to clash into a wall made of at least three defenders when he drove toward the hoop.
Joel Embiid (#21) of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots in the game against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 20, 2022. /CFP
Even if Embiid managed to approach the rim, there would be at least two pairs of long harms waiting to block him. The Raptors didn't have any full-sized big man, but they collected enough forward with intimidating wingspan and athleticism.
These forwards not only limited Embiid to 6 for 20 in FGs, but also grabbed 20 offensive rebounds. Their young legs proved useful in fast break too, via which the Raptors scored 16 points against 10 by the 76ers.
"Can we go out there and look these really good teams eye-to-eye and go compete and believe we can win? And execute to win?" Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said. "If we believe we can win and compete as hard as we've been competing, we're going to get our share of wins. We deserve to get our share of wins."
James Harden (#1) of the Philadelphia 76ers clashes with Chris Boucher (#25) of the Toronto Raptors in the game at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 20, 2022. /CFP
In a low-score game like this, teams expect their leaders to stand out and save the day. Embiid was contained, but he also consumed a lot of the opponents' defensive resources. Unfortunately, James Harden failed to respond to the 76ers' expectations.
The Raptors maintained one-on-one defense on Harden most time of the game when he was dribbling outside the 3-point line. Help defense wouldn't come unless Harden charged the rim. However, as a three-time scoring champion, Harden couldn't punish the opponents' defensive choices with isolation plays. Having shot 5 for 12 in FGs and missed all four triples, he only got 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists with six turnovers.
Harden committed three turnovers in one minute at the beginning of the fourth quarter and missed two clutch free throws. Moreover, when the 76ers were down by two points (90-88) at 0:02, Harden was called a flagrant 1 offensive foul when he tried to beat Chris Boucher. That play killed the game for the 76ers.
Pascal Siakam (#43) of the Toronto Raptors shoots in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 20, 2022. /CFP
"I just got to be better, it's simple," Harden said.
The 76ers were replaced by the Milwaukee Bucks in second in the Eastern Conference after the loss. If the regular season ends now, the 76ers have a good chance of meeting either the Raptors again or the Brooklyn Nets.
Other games on Sunday (away teams come first):
Portland Trail Blazers 98-129 Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies 122-98 Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans 117-112 Atlanta Hawks
Oklahoma City Thunder 85-90 Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns 127-124 Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz 108-93 New York Knicks
Boston Celtics 124-104 Denver Nuggets