San Antonio Spurs vs. Sixers at a glance
San Antonio Spurs vs. Sixers at a glance
TEAMS: Spurs (39-12) vs. Sixers (18-33)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday
WHERE: Wells Fargo Center
BROADCASTS: TV – CSN RADIO – 97.5 FM
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: TWITTER – @PompeyOnSixers, INSTAGRAM – PompeyOnSixers
411 ON SPURS: The Spurs are looking to erase memories of Monday's 89-74 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. It was the first matchup of their eight-game rodeo road trip.
Kawhi Leonard missed that game with a quadriceps bruise. The Spurs posted their lowest point total of the season without their leader.
They also had season lows in free-throw percentage (55.6), field-goal percentage (36.6) and three-point percentage (21.1).
Unfortunately for the Sixers, Loenard will play Wednesday.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Spurs (39-12)
2 Kawhi Leonard SF 6-7 25.3 ppg. 1.76 spg.
12 LaMarcus Aldridge PF 6-11 17.4 ppg. 7.2 rpg.
3 Dewayne Dedmon C 7-0 4.6 ppg. 6.0 rpg.
14 Danny Green SG 6-6 7.6 ppg. 3.1 apg.
9 Tony Parker PG 6-2 11.1 ppg. 4.6 apg.
Coach: Gregg Popovich (21st season, 1128-497)
Injury report: Pau Gasol (left fourth metacarpal fracture, out)
SIXERS (18-33)
33 Robert Covington SF 6-9 11.3 ppg. 1.8 spg.
7 Ersan Ilyasova PF 6-10 14.7 ppg. 6.0 rpg.
8 Jahlil Okafor C 6-11 11.5 ppg. 4.8 rpg.
11 Nik Stauskas SG 6-6 8.7 ppg. 2.1 apg.
1 T.J. McConnell PG 6-2 5.9 ppg. 6.0 apg.
Coach: Brett Brown (Fourth season, 65-232)
Injury report: Ben Simmons (right foot fracture, out), Jerryd Bayless, (left wrist ligament tear, out), Joel Embiid (left knee bone bruise, out), Robert Covington (right hand bruise, probable).
THE SERIES
The Spurs own a 56-34 series advantage and won last 11 meetings.
LAS VEGAS LINE
San Antonio is an 11-point favorite.
LAST SERIES MEETING
You knew the Spurs were bound to get the upper hand Thursday night of last week. The Sixers were shorthanded, playing without two starters in Joel Embiid and Robert Covington and key reserves Nerlens Noel and Gerald Henderson.
The Spurs began with a horrid shooting display before intermission, but they improved after halftime and beat the undermanned Sixers, 102-86, in Brett Brown's homecoming at the AT&T Center.
The Sixers had a 53-48 halftime lead thanks in large part to the Spurs shooting just 35.4 percent. However, San Antonio opened the second half on an 18-8 run to take a 66-61 lead with 5 minutes, 4 seconds left in the third quarter. The Spurs, who shot 42.7 percent for the game, never looked back.
Leonard paced the Spurs with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks. He was one of seven double-digit scorers for San Antonio.
Ilyasova finished with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers. Dario Saric, who started at small forward in place of Covington, added 14 points and nine rebounds.
UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday: 7 p.m., at Amway Center, Sixers vs. Orlando Magic
Saturday: 7:30 p.m., at Wells Fargo Center, Heat vs. Sixers
Monday: 7 p.m., at Spectrum Center, Sixers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Feb. 15: 7:30 p.m., at TD Garden, Sixers vs. Boston Celtics
Feb. 24: 7 p.m., at Wells Fargo Center, Washington Wizards vs. Sixers
Follow and contact 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers.