NBA Picks 3/1 – Golden State Warriors @ Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Picks 3/1 – Golden State Warriors @ Philadelphia 76ers

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

Two teams heading in opposite directions face off in prime time tonight as the Golden State Warriors (32-27) visit the reeling Philadelphia 76ers (20-38) at Wells Fargo Center on ABC. This is the second and final matchup between the Warriors and 76ers. Golden State trounced Philadelphia 139-105 in the first meeting on Jan. 2. Stephen Curry made all eight of his three-point attempts in the win for the Warriors. Golden State has won four in a row against Philadelphia. Golden State is a 7.5-point favorite and the total is 225.5.

Golden State is coming off a 121-115 win at Orlando on Thursday night. Stephen Curry finished with an astounding 56 points (16-25 FG, 12-19 3Pt, 12-12 FT) along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 32 minutes. Curry’s 12 three-pointers marked a season-high. It was the third time in Curry’s stellar career that he’s knocked down 12 threes in a game. He tied former teammate Klay Thompson for the most in NBA history. Curry scored 22 of his 56 points in the decisive third quarter when Golden State outscored Orlando 40-21, turning a 14-point halftime deficit (66-52) into a five-point lead (92-87) heading into the fourth quarter. 

Rookie center Quinten Post added 18 points (7-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, one steal and a block for Golden State off the bench. He was Golden State’s second-leading scorer on the night. Draymond Green produced a double-double of 12 points (3-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 5-7 FT) and ten rebounds across 32 minutes. Golden State has won a season-high five in a row and seven of their last eight games. 

The struggling 76ers are coming off a 110-105 loss at New York on Wednesday night. Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 30 points (12-32 FG, 0-10 3Pt, 6-6 FT) and led a furious second-half rally where he scored 17 points that turned a 13-point deficit (83-70) into a four-point lead (102-98) with 2:42 remaining in regulation. The Knicks closed the game on a 12-3 run to put away the 76ers. Maxey scored at least 30 points for the tenth time in 14 games. Philadelphia has lost a season-high nine in a row and 11 of their last 12 games. 

GAME STORYLINES: GOLDEN STATE

For 12 seasons (2013-2024), the trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green spearheaded one of the unlikeliest dynasties — none of them entered the NBA with a lot of fanfare — in NBA history as they won four NBA championships (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022) and set an NBA-record by winning 73 games in 2015-16. After winning their last championship in 2022, Golden State ended the 2023 and 2024 seasons in disappointing fashion — a second round loss to the lower-seeded Lakers in ’23 and a 24-point blowout loss at Sacramento in the play-in round last year — which made it easier for them to part ways with Klay Thompson. The Warriors allowed him to walk as a free agent. 

The loss of Klay Thompson as a free agent meant Golden State would open the 2024-25 season without the Big Three of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Thompson for the first time since 2011-12. The new-look Warriors got off to an impressive 12-3 start this year but a five-game losing streak followed by a 3-12 stretch from late-November through most of December dropped them to 15-15 on Dec. 27. Golden State toiled around the .500 mark for the next five weeks. 

Golden State’s season appeared to be heading nowhere fast as they’d gone 13-23 since getting off to that 12-3 start. Everything changed when they acquired temperamental Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler III in a five-team trade on Feb. 7. The 35-year-old, six-time All-Star wore out his welcome in Miami after not getting a contract extension. He led Miami to the NBA Finals twice in 2020 and 2023. Butler inked a two-year, $111 million extension to stay with the Golden State through the 2026-27 season.

The addition of Jimmy Butler III has resurrected Golden State’s season as they’ve gone 7-1 since he joined the team on Feb. 8 at Chicago — a 132-111 win. Their only blemish was a narrow 111-107 defeat at Dallas on Feb. 12. Four of their seven wins have been by 21 or more points. Butler is averaging 16.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals per contest in his 8 games with the Heat. 

NBA Picks 3/1 – Golden State Warriors @ Philadelphia 76ers

The incomparable Stephen Curry continues to amaze in his 16th season. The 36-year-old, 11-time All-Star is averaging a team-high 24 points, 6 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 4.4 threes per game while shooting 39.6 percent from long distance and 93.2 percent from the free throw line. Curry was named the MVP for this year’s All-Star game. It was the second time in his career (2022) that he captured the award. He scored 56 points in his last game at Orlando on Thursday night, it was the 14th 50-point game of Curry’s career which is the seventh-most in NBA history. 

Despite the tremendous play of late, Golden State’s season-long struggles prior to Jimmy Butler III’s arrival has them sitting at just 32-27. They are tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 6th seed — the last actual playoff spot — in the stacked Western Conference. The superstar duo of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III have Golden State resembling a championship contender at the moment. The Warriors could make a surprise run to the NBA Finals if Curry and Butler stay healthy and continue to gel.

GAME STORYLINES: PHILADELPHIA

Prior to the 2013-14 season, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie coined the phrase “Trust the process.” His plan was to purposely lose games in order to get high draft picks and eventually become a championship team. The process began with the 2013 NBA Draft. Aside from drafting Joel Embiid with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Hinkie’s lottery selections — Nerlins Noel (No. 6) and Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11) in 2013, Jahlil Okafor (No. 3) in 2015 and Ben Simmons (No. 1) in 2016 — were misses. Hinkie stepped down as the 76ers GM April 2016. 

Joel Embiid ended up being a franchise-player and he remains attached to the legacy of Sam Hinkie as Embiid is sometimes referred to as The Process. In Embiid’s seven spectacular but injury-prone NBA seasons prior to this one, he made the All-Star team every year, was named to the All-NBA team five times and won the NBA MVP award in the 2022-23 season. He’s averaged at least 30 ppg and 10.2 rpg in three straight seasons prior to this year. Embiid’s only issue is health as he’s never played more than 68 games in a season. A meniscus injury in his left knee limited Embiid to just 39 games last year. He did average a career-high 34.7 ppg when he was on the court last season.

Philadelphia 76ers fans thought they saw everything concerning Joel Embiid and his injuries but nothing could prepare them for this 2024-25 season. Things got off to an inauspicious start for Embiid when he began the year on the injured list. Embiid also told reporters that he didn’t plan to play in back-to-back games for the rest of his career which did not sit well with a lot of people. He missed the first nine games of the season and the 76ers went 2-7 without him. Embiid’s return did not help things as the Sixers went 0-4 with him before he went back on the injured list for about three weeks. The rest of the season has been a complete disaster for Embiid and the team. 

NBA Picks 3/1 – Golden State Warriors @ Philadelphia 76ers

It was announced yesterday (Feb. 28) that Joel Embiid will be out for the remainder of the year. Embiid’s season concludes with him averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 threes on 44.2 percent shooting from the floor in only 19 games. On a positive note for Philadelphia, the 2025 NBA draft is expected to be one of the strongest in years. With their playoff hopes vanished, securing a high draft pick or “Trusting the process” may be the top priority for the 76ers at this point. 

One of the few bright spots for the 76ers this year has been the play of incandescent guard Tyrese Maxey. The 24-year-old Maxey had a breakout campaign last year — Maxey raised his scoring average from 20.3 ppg in 2023 to 25.9 ppg in 2024 — where he was named an All-Star for the first time. He’s been even better this year averaging a career-best 27.2 points, 6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 3.2 threes per game on 44.5 percent shooting from the floor through 50 games. 

Promising rookie Jared McCain — the 16th overall pick out of Duke — was averaging 15.3 ppg in 28 games before suffering a season-ending left knee injury (meniscus) in December. He was leading all rookies in scoring prior to his injury. McCain had a stretch in November where he scored 20 or more points in seven straight games. He earned NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for October and November. 

THE PICK: 76ERS (+7.5)

The addition of Jimmy Butler III has Golden State looking like a title contender. But he is considered questionable tonight due to back spasms. When you combine Butler’s iffy status with the fact that Philadelphia has been off for 3 days and is playing in front of a national television audience, I thini the 76ers keep this one somewhat close. Take the points and the 76ers!