Philly Sports Jabronis
By Max Rappaport, Sixers.com
For the second straight game, the Sixers sought revenge against a team that handed them a lopsided defeat during their Texas Triangle road trip in mid-November. And for the second straight game, they fell just short.
The Sixers trailed by as many as 24 points in the first half of Monday’s game against the Spurs, and, despite an early push to start the second half they still trailed by 18 midway through the third frame. Regardless, the team battled throughout the final 18 minutes of the game, methodically working their way back into striking distance with stifling play on the defensive end of the floor.
After shooting 24-of-49 (49.0%) from the field in the first half, San Antonio held to just 12-or-34 (35.3%) shooting over the final 24 minutes of the game. Philadelphia was able to hold the Spurs scoreless from the 4:03 mark in the fourth quarter until just 42 seconds remained, reducing the deficit to just five. But several clutch baskets on the offensive end and a dry spell for the Sixers on the other helped San Antonio avoid the upset and escape with a 109-103 victory.
“I thought that we started the game, in the first half, [without] a lot of energy,” said head coach Brett Brown after the game. “[But] I thought as the game unfolded, we started playing through our defense. We showed a lot of looks with different lineups, but I thought, in general, their effort in the second half was especially good.”
The loss dropped the Sixers to 0-17 on the season, one away from the NBA record 0-18 mark set by the Nets in 2009-10. For the Spurs, it was their eighth consecutive win and one that put them at 13-4 on the season.
Michael Carter-Williams led the way for Philadelphia, following up a triple-double performance on Saturday by scoring a team-high 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists. In doing so, he became the first Sixers guard since Hal Greer in 1962 to notch at least 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in consecutive games.
“I think my teammates are doing a great job. They’re spacing out, they’re letting me have driving lanes, and they’re knocking down some shots,” Carter-Williams said. “I think I have to make more plays, with Tony [Wroten] (knee) being out. I’ve got to make plays, or attack the rim, or find the open man. We don’t have too many facilitators out there with him being out.”
Rookie K.J. McDaniels logged 30 minutes of action against the Spurs, second only to Carter-Williams, and notched 10 points to go along with nine rebounds, a pair of assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. Alexey Shved once again provided a spark off the bench, scoring 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting in 28 minutes. He also notched four assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
The Sixers were without Nerlens Noel, who was a last minute scratch due to a right hip flexor. Coach Brown said after the game that the rookie center is day-to-day and that he expects to have him back in action soon.
Up Next
The Sixers travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Wednesday at 8pm (EST). The game marks the beginning of a stretch in which 11 of the team’s next 15 games contests will be played on the road, including four of their next five.
