Patchwork Spurs no match for Joel Embiid and the 76ers

The Spurs, missing three starters and a rotation player, hosted the 76ers on Friday, and the game went as expected. The visitors struggled more than they probably should have to get a comfortable lead and once they did they had a scare in garbage time, but eventually prevailed, taking home a 137-125 win. Malaki Branham set a new career hight, but Joel Embiid was simply too much for San Antonio to handle.

With so many absences and facing an elite opponent, it seemed like the Spurs not being able to keep up was going to be a question of when and not if. As this group has shown throughout the season, however, they do have some fight in them, so it wasn’t too surprising that they came out with…