OAKLAND -- The Sixers’ 45-point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night was obviously still on their minds when they took the court again on Monday.
So much in fact that the Sixers came close to a repeat performance.
The Sixers were crushed again, this time in a 123-80 loss to the Golden State Warriors, becoming the first team since the 1993-94 Sixers to lose back-to-back games by 40-plus points. The defeat was their seventh in a row to match their season-worst skid.
Former Sixer Marreese Speights had a career night with 32 points.
The Sixers were down 66-33 at the half just one night after being down 69-30 at intermission to the Clippers. They trailed by as many as 49 points on Monday.
Turning point
The Sixers were outscored 37-12 in the second quarter. Yes, they were inept offensively in the period, shooting just 6 of 26 (0 of 7 from three-point range). However, their lack of defense was the main culprit for the game becoming a blowout.
NBA
The Warriors shot 13 of 19 from the field (68.4 percent) in the quarter, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc.
Follow the leader
Speights made his first seven shots and had 22 points at halftime. He kept pouring it on in the second half to finish with a career-high 32 points on 12 of 15 shooting. He also added eight rebounds.
Speights played extended minutes because the Warriors were down two big men as Jermaine O’Neal and Andrew Bogut were both sidelined with injuries.
Stephen Curry added 23 points and eight assists. He also led the Warriors with seven turnovers.
Michael Carter-Williams scored 24 points. Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young were the only other Sixers in double figures with 12 apiece.
Stat-egic
After making 9 of 14 three-pointers in the first half, the Warriors connected on 3 of 15 in the second.
It clearly didn’t hinder their success, especially with the Sixers connecting on just 2 of 16 attempts from long range themselves.
Take a bow
David Lee was a game-time decision because of a sore shoulder and strained hip. He warmed up well and told Golden State head coach Mark Jackson he wanted to play.
Lee scored 13 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and handed out four assists in 20 minutes.
What’s next?
The Sixers travel to Utah to face the Jazz on Wednesday night in their final game before the All-Star break.
The Jazz (17-33) snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Miami Heat on Saturday. The Jazz face the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday before battling the Sixers.
Gordon Hayward leads the Jazz in scoring with 16.3 points per game and Derrick Favors is tops in rebounding with 9.2 per game.
Wednesday will mark the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The Sixers have lost eight straight games in Utah.