IS BUYING CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Like their losses, the 76ers' frustration is mounting.
It can be seen in exchanged stares when the Sixers walk toward the bench for a time-out, it can be seen as they drift off the court at halftime, each player walking alone.
It has been two weeks since the Sixers won.
Last night against the San Antonio Spurs, they played hard. They scrambled on defense. They allowed onlookers to contemplate, if not expect, victory.
But when the final buzzer sounded on a 97-89 loss to San Antonio at the AT&T Center, it marked the team's sixth straight defeat, and the eighth loss in the last nine games.
"It's tough when you've lost six games in a row," said Sixers guard Willie Green. "You don't want to hang your head down, but the fact of the matter is we're searching for a win."
The Sixers dropped to 5-12; the Spurs improved to 9-6.
Tonight, the Sixers will play the Mavericks in Dallas.
Most of the time against the Spurs, the Sixers were running and jumping and trying: They were red-lining just to keep San Antonio in their sights.
"A loss is a loss, and we'd rather play bad and win than play really good and lose," said Sixers swingman Andre Iguodala. "So, we didn't have a bad game tonight, but we have to get a win."
The gap was two points after the first quarter, nine at halftime, and 10 after three quarters. In the third, the Sixers closed it to 70-68, but the Spurs punched the gas on an 8-0 run.
The Sixers' defense was solid, if not overly efficient. Tim Duncan's 22 points led five Spurs in double-figure scoring; San Antonio made 10 of 18 three-pointers.
"We have to keep people out of the middle and emphasize closing out on three-point shooters," said Sixers coach Eddie Jordan. "The players gave great effort, they followed the game plan."
The Sixers made 39.3 percent of their shots from the field and 26.3 percent from the three-point line.
San Antonio's bench outscored the Sixers' reserves by 49-15.
Iguodala's 21 points led four Sixers in double figures: Thaddeus Young (16 points), Samuel Dalembert (14 points, 14 rebounds), and Green (17 points). Iguodala and Green combined to shoot 13 of 35 from the floor.
Said Jordan: "We'd like to make a few more shots."
No moment more accurately reflected last night's effort-in-vain than the 6-minute, 57-second mark of the second quarter. In that moment, San Antonio's DeJuan Blair, surrounded by a trio of red jerseys, twice followed his own shot. On his final put-back attempt, Sixers center Jason Smith intentionally fouled Blair, putting the Spurs' big man on his back.
As he drifted off balance, Blair's shot bounced off the backboard and through the hoop: Count it, and one.
Smith stormed away, muscles tensed, and emitted an expletive.
"I come out of every game looking at myself in the mirror, saying: How can I get better to get this team better?" Jordan said. "And what can I do more to close out the game for a win?"
Contact staff writer Kate Fagan at 856-779-3844
