Spurs roll past Sixers, 116-93

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - You could have heard someone chewing gum when Andres Nocioni, arms spread wide, called out, "What are we doing?"

During this most indicative moment of the 76ers' embarrassing 116-93 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, the AT&T Center was surprisingly quiet.

It was midway through the third quarter, more than halfway through the Sixers' collapse, and Nocioni had just received an over-the-back call while trying to grab the missed shot of teammate Marreese Speights.

Walking back downcourt, Nocioni yelled what seemed to be a rhetorical question.

But after a few seconds, you began thinking Nocioni actually wanted an answer.

"What are we doing?" Nocioni repeated, arms still wide, pointing, seeking out a teammate.

Why was Speights shooting a 20-foot jumper with plenty of time on the shot clock? Why was the Sixers' offense just an alternating game of very bad one-on-one? When would the team find some discipline to make the extra pass?

On Saturday night, the answer was never.

The Sixers dropped to 2-8. The Spurs, led by Tony Parker with 24 points, improved to 7-1.

"Usually, the team, we fight until the end, the whole game," Nocioni explained afterward. "In the third quarter, we looked like we lost hope, so there was a reason I was frustrated. That's it. We need to work together and try to be together right now."

He continued: "I think we need to learn. We need to try to play our game and run the floor. We need to try to run our plays, and we didn't, so that's why we lost the way we lost."

Before many inside the arena had sat down with their beers, the Spurs were ahead by 17 points, 29-12.

After halftime, while some folks were in line for pretzels and soda, the Spurs went up by 70-52 and then, eventually, by 96-64.

"It's not a good feeling, but you continue to play," said Sixers guard Lou Williams, who scored 13 points. "Once your pride kicks in, you don't want to lose the game by 40 and 50 points. So you continue to play and, at the end of the day, guys, their personal reputations are on the line."

San Antonio's lead was built on the combined effort of starting guards Manu Ginobili and Parker, who, entering the fourth quarter had outscored the Sixers' starting guards, 40-2. Parker darted in and around the lane, finishing repeatedly at the rim, while Ginobili handled the perimeter scoring, splashing a trio of three-pointers.

"We didn't execute . . .," said Sixers power forward Elton Brand, who scored eight points in 20 minutes, 57 seconds of playing time. "You look at the Spurs; they executed and we certainly didn't."

Brand was one of three starters - including swingman Andre Iguodala and center Spencer Hawes - who watched from the bench the entire fourth quarter. Iguodala played 19:02 and scored 10 points, all in the first half. Hawes played 13:58.

"I don't put starters back in a game like that," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "Let those other guys get out there and play and get some minutes. They could have beaten us by 60."