The Spurs have excuses for this lopsided 134-99 loss. DeMar DeRozan is out; they are still trying to find their rhythm after a COVID outbreak and the All-Star break; the LaMarcus Aldridge situation is still unresolved. Ultimately, though, they were just outclassed by the superior 76ers on Sunday.
San Antonio’s best chance against the Joel Embiid-less Sixers was to make the game ugly. They succeeded early, with some help from Philly. With the two offensive fulcrums absent, neither team looked particularly sharp early on. The hosts did a better job of masking their struggles by taking advantage of some lackadaisical Spurs transition defense to find open shooters or easy buckets at the rim.