NBA highlights on Jan. 30: Shorthanded Warriors beat 76ers

The Golden State Warriors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-107 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, avoiding their third straight loss.

The Warriors was down their second-most-important 3-point shooter Klay Thompson due to illness in the game, but they benefited from the misfortune. The team's two starting forwards, Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, stepped up to shoulder more offensive duties. Wiggins shot 8-for-10 from the field to get 23 points, five rebounds and three assists. Meanwhile, Kuminga made 11 of his 19 field goal (FG) attempts to add 26 points, extending his 20+ points scoring streak to seven games.

Both Wiggins and Kuminga had three assists on Tuesday night. Though the 76ers led 14-6 in steals, the two sides matched in turnovers at 16, and the Warriors scored more points via fast break (17-6).

The good performances of Stephen Curry's teammates enabled him to play one of his easiest games in recent days. He knocked down 12 of his 17 FGs, including eight outside the 3-point line, to drop court-high 37 points plus eight rebounds and seven assists. It was the 246th time in his career that he made at least five triples and delivered no fewer than five assists in one game. Curry is an absolute NBA all-time leader on this front. James Harden comes in second with 164 games.

Such a victory meant a lot to the Warriors, who lost their last two games by one point. By contrast, the 76ers suffered their fourth straight loss, dropping to fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They were also down several key players in Tuesday's game, including Tyrese Maxey, Nicolas Batum, and De'Anthony Melton. That's why Joel Embiid had to play on the court despite potential ankle and knee injuries.

Embiid was obviously not in his best form. He finished most of his attacks outside the paint and missed 13 of his 17 jumpers to get only 14 points, seven rebounds, and eight turnovers. He found himself in an awkward position where none of his teammates could pass the ball to him in his sweet spots. Embiid was the best playmaker on the 76ers' rotations on Tuesday night. However, his improved court vision and passing skills were still not good enough to run offense like an orchestrator.

What broke the 76ers' hearts even worse than Embiid's underperformance was his injury. He and Kuminga competed for a loose ball with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter when Kuminga accidentally landed on Embiid's left knee. He seemed in a lot of pain and exited the game, never returning for the rest of the match.

Coach Nick Nurse should also be blamed for Friday's loss, as he made some really confusing arrangements. For example, he had Danuel House guard Curry, but House was neither fast enough to follow Curry nor good at beating through screens. Nurse also had his players double-team Green on many occasions when Green had the ball in the low post. Green has been attacking with better aggression since he returned from suspension, but it still makes no sense to trap a player who averages 9.3 points per game.

Other games on Tuesday (away teams come first):

Los Angeles Lakers 122-138 Atlanta Hawks

The Lakers was down their defensive spine Anthony Davis in the game, which explained why their interior defense was bad enough to allow 12 offensive rebounds and 68 points in the paint by the Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Though the purple and gold got 66 points in the paint as well, they were outmatched by the opponents from downtown 16-12.

D'Angelo Russell went 3-for-11 from the field to get only nine points and five assists in Tuesday's game. Whenever he shot a free throw, home fans chanted, "We don't want you!" because of his involvement in the recent trade rumors about the Hawks' All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. Murray and Trae Young worked together to score 50 points and 22 assists in the game.

Utah Jazz 103-118 New York Knicks

Having defeated the Jazz at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Tuesday, the Knicks extended their winning streak to eight games, the longest in the league. Donte DiVincenzo was on fire behind the arc, draining nine triples out of 15 attempts to contribute 33 points for the Knicks. He also got four steals.

The Knicks' Josh Hart also reached a cornerstone of his career in the game as he dropped his first triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in addition to two steals and two blocks.

Indiana Pacers 124-129 Boston Celtics

Toronto Raptors 118-107 Chicago Bulls