Sixers fall to Spurs for fifth straight loss
THE EUPHORIA that a 10-5 January brought this city when it came to the 76ers has deflated quicker than a Tom Brady football.
THE EUPHORIA that a 10-5 January brought this city when it came to the 76ers has deflated quicker than a Tom Brady football.
There is the obvious reason - Joel Embiid being relegated to the sideline for 10 of the last 11 games with a knee injury - but just as big is the inept defense the team has displayed of late. In 10 games heading into Wednesday's contest against the San Antonio Spurs, the Sixers had yielded an average of 114.5 points a game.
Not exactly surprising is that they were losers in six of their previous seven, including the last four, all on the road. The offensively efficient Spurs certainly didn't supply a remedy, either. San Antonio repeatedly answered any blitz the Sixers could muster with terrific ball movement that led to easy baskets in what became a 111-103 Sixers loss.
The Spurs improved to 40-12, while the Sixers dropped to 18-34.
The Spurs, playing the second of eight games on their current road trip, made 21 of their first 30 shots and methodically scored 58 first-half points on 63 percent shooting for a seven-point lead at the break.
"It's really difficult (to guard them)," said Jahlil Okafor, who started at center and totaled 20 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks for the Sixers. "They don't do a lot of isolation basketball. Everything is team-oriented, and it makes it tough. They have a really balanced roster and they move the ball well. You think you might be forcing them to take a contested shot, but they just keep moving it and eventually they find the shot that they want, and they knock it down at a really high rate. They are really hard to guard."
The Sixers showed life in the second half, cutting the lead to two midway through the fourth on two Okafor free throws, but San Antonio, who got a game-high 32 points from Kawhi Leonard, seemed to have an answer when needed in beating the Sixers for the second time in seven days.
Dario Saric also scored 20 for the Sixers, while Nik Stauskas came off the bench and provided 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Robert Covington added 18 points, Ersan Ilyasova 11.
"I think they are a really hard team to defend," said coach Brett Brown, whose team never led. "Kawhi Leonard is one of those unique players that we're seeing grow before all of our eyes. He's gone from something that was gifted physically, then you saw the emergence of maybe the best two-way player in the NBA. He's a hard person to defend."
Okafor proved to be that for the Spurs as he played hard for his 24 minutes, 39 seconds, repeatedly taking the ball quickly and strongly to the basket, which led to his making 10 of his 11 foul shots.
"I see quick decisions. When he catches it and holds it and thinks about stuff (not good)," said Brown. "When he just catches and goes in that .5 world (making a decision in a half second), he makes plays because he demands double-teams. He's really hard to defend because he's nimble enough to go one way and then spin out of it and make a move. I think that double-teams can't get to him as quickly. Anything that is quick, favors him. Anything that isn't, doesn't help him or us. I think that he's been excellent at living in what he and I talk about, a .5 world. You have a half of a second and let's go."
That pretty much sums up the San Antonio offense. If a good shot is to be had, the ball travels two or three more times around the floor to find a great one. All five starters scored in double figures, as Tony Parker backed Leonard with 18 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 15, Danny Green 11 and Dewayne Dedmon 10.
"Maybe a little bit better (defensive effort), but the Spurs are a tough team to guard," said Stauskas. "They move the ball and they move themselves so well that they just find and create easy opportunities for themselves. We did a little bit better of locking in, but it wasn't at the level we needed to win the game. We made a number of different runs in the second half, but when you look back at that first half, they shot 63 percent at halftime, and when a team is shooting that well, it's going to be tough to stop them."
Notes The Delaware 87ers, the Sixers' Development League affiliate, acquired NBA veteran guard Nate Robinson on Wednesday. The 5-9 Robinson has played 10 seasons in the league, having stints with New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver, Golden State, the Clippers, Oklahoma City and New Orleans.
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