Shorthanded Spurs Still Subdue Sixers

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

San Antonio 109, Philadelphia 103 – Box Score

The old saying goes it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Well, with their record now falling to 0-17, I just don’t think the Sixers are a big enough dog. When it comes down to it, no one can question the young guys’ fight after the Sixers battled back again and again Monday evening to try and pull out their first victory of the season.

After a 9-0 Philadelphia run gave the team a brief lead at 13-12, the Spurs methodically pulled ahead, building as large as a 24-point lead in the second quarter. The Sixers could have easily packed it in, but instead, they continued to work and gradually cut the deficit down until it was just 5 points with over a minute left in the contest. The Sixers had possession and were looking to make it a one-possession game. However, Alexey Shved (who had another strong game off the bench with 19 points) missed wildly on a drive, and Kawhi Leonard converted a three-point play on the other end to put the game away.

With future hall-of-famers Tim Duncan (DNP-Old) and Tony Parker (rib injury) both sitting out the second night of a back-to-back, the Spurs ran a lot more offense through Leonard throughout the game. The Finals MVP responded in a big way, putting up 26 points and 10 rebounds. It’s a nice luxury to be able to sit a couple hall-of-famers and instead, turn to a guy who recently outplayed LeBron James in a series. As they’re wont to do, the Spurs moved the ball around beautifully on offense, getting plenty of open looks for the likes of Aron Baynes (15 points, 9 rebounds), and Cory Joseph (14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists). Watching them play basketball after seeing the Sixers for a month is like watching the same TV show after you remember to flip it to the HD channel.

Aside from Shved, the Sixers also got another solid performance from Michael Carter-Williams. The 2nd-year point guard put up big numbers once again with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. More importantly, he actually shot the ball well against San Antonio, finishing 2-3 from three and 9-19 from the floor overall. MCW finally appears to have regained his rookie of the year form, and he’ll need to keep it up if the Sixers are going to break this historic losing streak.

Other Game Notes:

• Molly Sullivan asked Spurs coach Greg Popovich what he saw from the Sixers on tape and Pop basically said nothing, but don’t take it personally, because he never watches any tape, period. He only worries about making sure his own team executes. Pop is the best.
• JaKarr Sampson was…not awful? The much-maligned rookie was actually productive in this game, finishing with a team-high +14 plus/minus in 12 minutes of game action. Sampson was flying up and down the floor, making the hustle plays to track down some loose balls on defense, and looked like he belonged on an NBA court (which represents light years of improvement from earlier in the season). Maybe the time down in the D-league is doing him some good.

The Sixers travel to Minnesota to face former Sixer Thad Young, almost-Sixer Andrew Wiggins, and the Timberwolves. As good a guy as Thad is, you have to think part of him would really relish making sure the Sixers tie the league record for 18 straight losses to start a season. Hopefully, Nerlens Noel will be recovered from the hip injury suffered in practice to return to the court, because with the Sixers actually have a few winnable games coming up, but they’ll need all hands on deck to make it happen.