Sixers’ road winning streak snapped in a 120-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO — One team’s streak was bound to snap.

The 76ers went into Friday night’s game against Golden State Warriors with a seven-game road winning streak. Meanwhile, the Warriors had won eight straight games at the Chase Center.

The Warriors came away with their streak intact, using a late 7-0 run to claim a 120-112 victory over the Sixers.

» READ MORE: Sixers injuries: James Harden to miss second game with an Achilles injury; Joel Embiid to play vs. Warriors

Joel Embiid returned after sitting out the second half of Wednesday’s road victory over the Chicago Bulls with right calf tightness. The Sixers center put up another MVP-worthy performance with 46 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. The six-time All-Star made 19 of 22 foul shots while making 13 of 23 shots from the field. It marked his 12th 40-point performance of the season, which is one shy of a career high and is tied for the second most in the NBA.

Embiid is the first Sixer to post at least a dozen 40-point outings in consecutive seasons.

On this night, those points were timely.

He scored 15 fourth-quarter points, 13 of which came consecutively after he checked back into the game with 8 minutes, 26 seconds to play. Tobias Harris scored the Sixers’ next two baskets to knot the score at 110 with 3:10 left. But that’s when the Warriors responded with their 7-0 run.

Embiid hit a pair of foul shots to stop the run to make it 117-112 with 31 seconds remaining. But that was as close as they got.

The Sixers were without James Harden and reserves Jalen McDaniels and Danuel House Jr.

Harden missed his second consecutive game with left Achilles soreness. McDaniels sat out his second straight game with right hip soreness, while House missed the game with a right shoulder injury.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers said there’s a chance Harden returns for Saturday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center.

De’Anthony Melton started in Harden’s place Friday night, but it was Harris who picked up most of the slack.

The forward, who’s typically the fourth scoring option, made the most of having a larger role. Harris finished with 23 points on a very efficient 10-of-12 shooting night to go with six rebounds and three assists. Not moving the ball well in the second half, the Sixers didn’t take full advantage of Harris’ abilities.

Tyrese Maxey finished with 23 points, but struggled through 1-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter. And he was targeted on defense.

The loss dropped the Eastern Conference third-place Sixers to 49-23 and 1 1/2 games behind the second-place Boston Celtics with nine games remaining. The loss marked their first road setback since losing, 133-126, to the Dallas Mavericks on March 2.

The Warriors improved to 39-36 thanks to Jordan Poole’s 33 points, Steph Curry’s 29 and 21 by Klay Thompson. They’re 30-7 at home.

» READ MORE: ‘Stay ready and stay patient’: Tobias Harris continues to fill the gaps for the Sixers

With Harden out, the Sixers looked to Harris to help carry some of the offensive load. Early on, it was obvious that he was up to the challenge.

Harris had a lot of things working well for him in the first half, especially around the basket. He scored on short jumpers, dunks, and a layup. Harris had 15 first-half points on 7-for-9 shooting.

He then hit two clutch baskets in the fourth quarter, which tied the score.

Furkan Korkmaz received his first non-blowout meaningful minutes in months thanks to McDaniels and House being sidelined. The Sixers reserve guard, who asked to be traded prior to the trade deadline, played 1:28 in the first and 5:16 total. He made the only shot he took to finish with two points and added a rebound.

“Right now, he’s bringing a lot of maturity,” Rivers said of Korkmaz before the game. “I mean that because Furk’s a guy that’s always been in the rotations, and right now he’s just not in the rotations. But you can’t tell by the way he prepares and works. That’s what we ask. ... Guys get hot at some point, and Furk is preparing himself for the opportunity.”

Like the Sixers, the Suns will be playing their second game in as many nights and will be coming off a road loss. Phoenix lost, 135-127, to the Sacramento Kings, dropping its record to 38-35. The Suns are 23-12 at home.