76ers: Jaden Springer, Mike Foster Shine in Blue Coats Loss

As the Philadelphia 76ers geared up for their first of two matchups against the Atlanta Hawks this week on Thursday night, their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, got started on their third matchup of the year.

For the first time this season, the Blue Coats played on their home court in Delaware after participating in back-to-back matchups against the Greensboro Swarm last week.

This week, the Blue Coats geared up for two-straight matchups against the Capital City Go-Go, the G League affiliate of the Washington Wizards.

On Thursday night, the Blue Coats rolled out a starting lineup of Karim Mane and Skylar Mays in the backcourt. At the forward position were Sixers two-way signee Julian Champagnie and the recently-assigned Jaden Springer. At center, the Blue Coats started the Sixers’ other two-way prospect, Mike Foster Jr.

Out of the gate, Philly’s former first-rounder Jaden Springer was a man on a mission. In nearly eight minutes of action, the second-year player dropped three of his four shot attempts and went 2-2 from the free throw line. Springer scored ten of Delaware’s 31 first-quarter points.

In the second quarter, he kept the ball rolling. With another efficient outing in his next ten minutes of action, Springer tacked on another six points. Meanwhile, Foster began to heat up as he produced 12 points in eight minutes as the Blue Coats outscored the Go-Go 29-20 before halftime.

The Blue Coats struggled to keep the momentum going in the third quarter, as they shot just 41 percent from the field and 23 percent from three. However, Springer helped keep the game close as he continued shooting efficiently, along with Delaware’s reserve standout Mac McClung, who produced eight points in seven minutes.

Going into the fourth quarter, Delaware held a four-point lead, which they struggled to maintain in the final minutes. Capital City dominated on the offensive end in the final 12 minutes of action. As they got up 19 shots, the Go-Go drained 63 percent of their field goals and went 6-10 from beyond the arc.

While the Blue Coats shot at a high percentage from the floor themselves and received a notable boost from Mays and Foster on the offensive end, Capital City’s 37-point showing in the fourth quarter was too much for the Blue Coats to handle. The Go-Go issued the Coats their second loss of the year as they defeated Delaware 120-116.

Springer shined in the loss as he produced 28 points, draining 60 percent of his shots and going 33 percent from beyond the arc. In addition to his scoring, Springer racked up six assists, three steals, and one block while coming down with five total rebounds.

Meanwhile, Mike Foster had a similarly impressive performance, as he accounted for 23 points in 27 minutes. Along with his scoring, Foster produced two assists and came down with four rebounds, and blocked two shots. While Foster drilled a late three to give the Blue Coats an opportunity to try and win, Capital City capitalized on their late lead and put Delaware away once and for all.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.