By: Kylan Watson
The Philadelphia 76ers were riding high after beating the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. They faced the San Antonio Spurs who were desperate to stop the momentum of the Sixers. Philly used an offensive explosion to toast the Spurs 119-100.
The Sixers were able to jump on the Spurs from the opening tip-off. They were hitting their jump shots early and were led by Joel Embiid, who imposed his will on the outmatched Spurs defenders. They could not stop him. He was hitting his shots from the perimeter and the paint. Embiid scored 31-points, his sixth straight game scoring above 30-points. He continues to round into form, and it has led to a six-game win streak for the team and them rocketing up the standings in the Eastern Conference. They currently are the fifth seed in the East right now.
The Spurs continued to fight even though they were down by 20-points. They were able to cut the lead down to 12-points mid-way through the third quarter. They were led by Dejounte Murray who scored 27-points and hit three three-pointers. The Sixers made it hard on him, but he still was able to get his and keep his team in the game. The Sixers were able to stifle the Spurs offense by not letting anyone else beat them. The length of the Sixers clearly affected the Spurs shooters. They only made 41.3% of their shots.
The Sixers were able to pull-away late in the third quarter thanks to Seth Curry (23-points) and Tobias Harris (23-points) who combined for 46-points. They both refused to let the Spurs back into the game. For Harris this is his second straight positive scoring night. He seems to be rounding into form as well. He has had some trouble finding himself after battling COVID-19 a few months ago. If he and Curry continue to round into the form it could be a problem for the rest of the league.
Philly now will get two days off to rest up and prepare to face the Houston Rockets on Monday night. They will need to have another balanced scoring night and have another strong perimeter defensive performance if they want to get their 23rd victory of the season.
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