Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The NBA’s best team ran into some trouble in Philadelphia as the 76ers put in a dogged performance to hand the Golden State Warriors their fifth loss of the season.

The Sixers bounced back at home, beating the Warriors 102-93 to prevent a three-game winning streak for Golden State and make it four wins out of five games.

Having a lineup as close to full strength as it’s likely to be anytime soon, the Sixers played the better game and stayed right alongside the Warriors early with a one-point lead after the first quarter.

Golden State got the upper hand in the second-quarter scoring, turning that one-point deficit into a three-point advantage at halftime.

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The Warriors did pull away for some time with a 10-point lead during the final minutes of the third quarter, but that was short-lived as the Sixers hung around to close the gap back to three, heading into the fourth.

Philly got stronger on defense and it paid off while holding the Warriors to only 20 fourth-quarter points, definitely on the low end for a high-powered offense like Golden State’s.

With under 10 minutes to play, all the Sixers had to do was unleash their offensive talent, which was enough to leave the Warriors empty-handed at the end.

A man definitely playing like his usual self was Sixers center Joel Embiid, who brought his A-game against the Warriors.

It was a performance that fully justified the praise Embiid got from the Warriors in the run-up to the game. Both head coach Steve Kerr and star man Steph Curry had complimented the 27-year-old.

The Sixers’ leading scorer was in control on Saturday night, all the way to the final moments as he scored seven points over the final two minutes to help his team pull away.

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Embiid shot 7-for-16 from the field for a team-high 26 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

Embiid selflessly chose to shine the spotlight on his teammates' defensive efforts after the game and it's no wonder.

Sure, Philly was able to get to the free-throw line more often than Golden State, but more importantly, the defense disrupted Warriors sharpshooter Steph Curry all game long.

He was held to a dismal 6-for-20 field goal shooting that included 3-for-14 from behind the arc, not a recipe for success.

As long as Klay Thompson is still out injured, Golden State’s opponents could now take a page out of Philly’s playbook, in which case the Warriors will run into some considerable trouble going forward.

On Monday, the Sixers will be on the road to face the Grizzlies while the Warriors will be in Indiana to play the Pacers.