What we learned as Steph celebrated the Warriors’ big win over the 76ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN FRANCISCO — The first glimpse of the Warriors in 2025 was Steph Curry sinking a three-pointer and celebrating like the clock struck midnight, putting any bad vibes that tried to creep into the new year behind him and the rest of the team left behind.

Both the shot and the celebration were a foretaste of what the entire evening would be like in Thursday’s Warriors’ 139-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Chase Center.

Curry, playing with a taped thumb on his right shooting hand, scored a game-high 30 points to go with six rebounds and 10 assists in 30 minutes, shooting 11 of 15 from the field and a perfect 8 of 8 from 3-4. Point area. After scoring 11 points in the first half, Curry exploded for 13 points in the third quarter, hitting five of his seven shots and all three of his three-pointers.

His eight three-pointers tied a season high and are the most in a game without a single missed shot.

A number of other Warriors also contributed significantly to the victory.

The Warriors shot 60.9 percent from the field and 56.4 percent from three-point range while holding the Sixers to 42.5 percent overall and 29 percent from behind the 3-point line. The Warriors also had 42 assists on 53 shots made.

The Warriors never trailed once and their 139 points are the second most they have scored this season, behind the 140 they scored in the season opener.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors that will turn the calendar with a bang.

Setting a tone

Whatever the Warriors ate and drank on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, it was exactly what every player needed. The energy could be felt throughout Chase Center in the first quarter and the Warriors jumped out to a 35-19 lead in the first 12 minutes.

They got stops, played with pace and made shots – three things that didn’t happen for the Warriors in the four-win month of December. The quarter started with a Curry 3-pointer, followed by a layup from Draymond Green after great ball movement. Moments later, Dennis Schroder seemed more comfortable in a Warriors jersey than he has ever been this season as he hit three-pointers on two straight possessions.

Schroder entered the ninth round with the Warriors averaging 9.1 points and then scored nine points in the first quarter on Thursday night, going a perfect 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. Those three 3-pointers alone represent the most he has made in an entire game since joining Golden State. During this period, Schröder also scored the 1,000th three-pointer of his career.

All 13 of the Warriors’ shots in the first quarter were assisted. They shot 59.1 percent from the field, 63.6 percent on threes and stopped the Sixers from making any of their seven 3-point attempts.

Balanced attack

It didn’t take a Curry upset for the Warriors to take a 16-point lead after the first quarter and a 16-point lead again at halftime. Instead, the Warriors received generous donations from top to bottom of the roster.

Steve Kerr’s trimmer rotation resulted in nine Warriors receiving playing time, with all scoring and all but one having a positive plus/minus. Only two players, Curry and Andrew Wiggins, scored in double figures after the first half, but six players scored eight or more points. Moses Moody was right behind, scoring six points on his two 3-point attempts.

Through three quarters, the Warriors had as many as five players score 10 or more points, including Green, Schroder and Jonathan Kuminga. In total, seven players scored in double figures, including five with 15 or more points.

When the Warriors’ depth was praised early in the season for being able to reach depths of 12, 13 or 14, that understandably didn’t hold water. Being nine men strong and getting a real performance from every player is more than enough.

Dennis The Menace

In his eighth game wearing a Warriors jersey, Schroder became the closest player to general manager Mike Dunleavy when he was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets. An offensive threat and a nuisance to contend with defensively, this is the type of combo guard the Warriors needed after De’Anthony Melton was out for the rest of the season.

Schroder, who did not play in the fourth quarter, scored 15 points, his most as a Warrior. The veteran guard also added four rebounds, six assists and two steals, resulting in a plus-17 in 25 minutes. In his last seven games with the Warriors, he only had a positive plus/minus once.

The beauty of Schroder’s game was how he combined multiple combinations. The starters were a combined plus-11 and outscored the 76ers 30-19 in 11 minutes. Subbing Kuminga for Trayce Jackson-Davis and sliding Green into center will be the Warriors’ last lineup in many games. This group shared the court for three and a half minutes and beat Philadelphia 10-5.

Schroder shaped the game on both sides of the ball and boosted confidence for what could come.

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