San Antonio vs.Philadelphia, Final Score: Spurs tear though undermanned 76ers, 131-91

San Antonio closed out an 8-1 Rodeo Road Trip with a 131-91 whipping of Philadelphia that saw eight Spurs get to double-digits scoring. Despite NBC’s pregame focus on the Sixers’ excellent starting guards, it was the Spurs’ perimeter players that stood tallest in a stunning 81-39 explosion across the second and third quarters that led to a 40+ point lead. Stephon Castle, in particular, showcased his playmaking, and his teammates shot 60+% in support of his excellence in a sublime first three quarters. San Antonio remained comfortably ahead (5-7 games) of the 3-6 seeded teams behind them in the standings.

Castle (15 points and 10 assists) led the way for the Spurs, while receiving encouraging support from Devin Vassell (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Dylan Harper (22 points). Victor Wembanyama (10 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocks) was content riding shotgun in the impressive road victory. Keldon Johnson (12 points and 9 rebounds) and Carter Bryant (11 points and 9 rebounds) figured prominently in that push in the middle quarters.

With Joel Embiid and Paul George absent, Tyrese Maxey (21 points and 8 rebounds) tried to carry the burden of the Philadelphia offense but his shot-hunting early on may have denied the other starters scoring opportunities. Jabari Walker (20 points and 6 rebounds) excelled during the waning minutes. VJ Edgecombe injured his lower back at the end of the first half after getting fouled by Bryant.

The Spurs forced the Sixers into nine striaght misses with dogged defense and they went up 13-4 with the team’s stable of guards asserting themselves offensively. Castle made most of his impact with playmaking and on the offensive boards. San Antonio was aided by Maxey’s slow start and errant shooting, but its own 1-for-8 start from distance allowed Philadelphia to creep as close as one. Harper helped preserve the Spurs’ hold on the lead with a half-dozen points, and Bryant’s two baskets were important to getting the Spurs back ahead 32-25.

Despite the action getting concerningly sloppy, and Cam Payne continuing his long-term success against the Spurs, San Antonio was still able to add to that advantage. Outside of a Harper three, the next several San Antonio field goals came inside of four feet. An impressive driving dunk from Castle nudged the lead out to ten. Despite getting a tip at the rim, Andre Drummond bricked four threes from all over the perimeter. Devin Vassell’s excellent ballhawking skills were featured in a 16-0 run that put the Sixers down 24. Castle continued to probe the Sixers’ defense to great success for himself and his teammates. In back-to-back possessions, Castle lured Edgecombe into contact for an and-1, and then wrought Area 51 lobbing on Philadelphia with a feather to Wembanyama. After yet another couple of exhilarating plays from Castle, the Spurs went to the break up 78-53.

San Antonio’s opening scorching 20-4 push , including some eye-popping jumpers from Vassell, pushed the lead out to as much as 47 – even after the coaches went deep into their benches.

Observations

• If you are of a certain age, the hour before the game dredged up so many memories. It’s hard to believe that NBC used to have tripleheaders (THREE GAMES IN A ROW) on most spring weekends! Bob Costas: “When the Spurs come to town, the focus always starts with Wemby.” Doug Collins had to add: “(Wemby) He. Is. Gigantic.” It’s hard to explain, but there’s just more levity and gravitas with these broadcasters. The 90s was known for garish and vibrant colors and block lettering (think NBA JAM). The scorebud was a nice addition to this throwback broadcast.
• When he entered first quarter action, Bryant, curiously unused on Sunday, ripped away the ball from a Sixer in transition to halt what could have been an easy scoring opportunity. After Bryant hit a corner three and threw down a transition dunk, Collins gushed: “If he does that, he’ll be one heck of an NBA player.”
• Delightful is the word I’d use to descrxibe seeing Maxey and Castle hustle and tussle in the first quarter.
• If you are looking ahead to Thursday’s match-up, check out this deep dive assessment into the Detroit Pistons.
• Dominick Barlow sighting!
• Lindy Waters III has a nice shooting stroke!
• Devin’s Deeds: The shooting, though expected, paled in comparison to his defense. He capped his evening with a block at the rim of a Sixer transition attempt before exiting late in the third.
• Castle Hills: Later in the opening half, Castle waited patiently near the top of the key for the screening action near him to occur, and for Champagnie’s man to leave him just enough, for the guard to float a pass to the left corner. Champagnie swished the open look.
• Sequence of the Game #1: Minutes into the second period, Luke Kornet blocked a stepback three from Cam Payne, and Julian Champagnie rewarded the big man by tossing him a transition lob at the other end.
• Sequence of the Game #2:. Late in the first half, Vassell, anticipating a lazy pass, swiped it cleanly, and soared in for a slam. On the next Philadelphia possession, he again stole the ball, and though his attempt was blocked out of bounds, he drew some freebies seconds later.
• Sequence of the Game #3: In a sequence reminiscent of the Kawhi Leonard follow dunk of Patty Mill’s three in the 2014 Finals Game 4, Castle hammered home a Bryant miss to elicit ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the Philadelphia crowd.
• Sequence of the Game #4: That first five minutes of the third period should be enjoyed with an adult beverage and Whataburger.
• Bench Sequence of the Game: Well into garbage time, Kelly Olynyk rambled down the court – maintaining a tenuous handle – and found a trailing Waters III for a slam.

Game Rundown

The Sixers missed their first handful of attempts from the tip, and Wembanyama drew two quick fouls on an hyper-aggressive Drummond. A baseline dunk by Castle and Fox’s wing three put San Antonio up nine. Philadelphia’s first field goal came nearly four minutes in. The Sixers earned their fifth and sixth points by swatting away two Castle attempts on successive possesions and converting a transition lob. Undeterred, Castle found a cutting Harper for a lay-up and snared an offensive rebound over three Sixers to earn free throws. Harper’s spinning lay-up made it 18-6. San Antonio lost its way offensively over some minutes, and Adem Bona’s two buckets made it a two-possession game. Maxey’s three tied the game briefly, yet Bryant spearheaded a closing 10-3 burst put San Antonio up seven.

Payne’s two triples spanning the first and second cut that lead in half. Meanwhile, Wembanyama was able to get nearly ten minutes of actual rest on the bench. After Bona shoved Kornet out of bounds late in the first stanza, the Spurs center was assessed a Flagrant Foul 1 for a hard whack of revenge 90 seconds into the second. Payne rained floaters on San Antonio well into the stanza. After Edgecombe held his dribble for over 10 seconds, he tried to loft a pass over Wembanyama, and it was snatched by the Spurs’ center. Late in the frame, Johnson, Harper, and Bryant (30 points total) had nearly matched Philadelphia’s 36. Vassell’s two steals inspired his teammates during an extended run to help the Spurs more than double their lead. After countless highlight worthy plays, San Antonio’s closing 34-17 flourish got them to halftime up 25.

San Antonio’s scores after the break went: Fox, Vassell, Castle, Fox, Wembanyama, Vassell. Maxey got two of his own buckets in response, but the barrage of Spurs scores culminated in Vassell’s pull-up from 30+ feet to make it 96-57. Harper, after a driving lay-up, was compared favorably to the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell. It was 113-64 at the end of three.

For the Sixers fan’s perspective, please visit Liberty Ballers.

San Antonio’s rematch with the Detroit Pistons and Cade Cunningham takes place on Thursday night at 7:00 PM CDT (and thankfully not on Amazon Prime).