'We Worked Real Hard': How Spurs Shocked 76ers on Their Home Floor
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The San Antonio Spurs (2-1) took down the struggling Philadelphia 76ers (0-3) using a 114-105 victory on Saturday. A rebuilding team was not necessarily expected to defeat an NBA title contender on their home floor, especially on the second night of a back-to-back.
“We worked real hard,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Obviously, the quick turnaround on the back-to-back (after beating Indiana on Friday) is not what any of us love, but we all have them. They showed me they are serious about getting a better understanding of what the league is like. For young guys, it was pretty impressive to play as hard as they did.”
The Spurs received yet another standout performance from their young wings, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson. In the opening half, Vassell was the one to set the tone for the group as a whole — scoring 20 of his 22 points within that stretch. Johnson chipped in 21 points and eight rebounds.
Vassell has now put together consecutive 20-point performance after struggling in the Spurs' season-opener in what was a 129-102 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Given the high hopes the Spurs hold for the former lottery pick, the progression has been important to see.
“They have a lot of confidence in me,” Vassell said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself. If I miss a shot, nobody is saying nothing to me. It’s just keep shooting, keep going. I’ve got that mindset.”
The Spurs' veteran players have continued to offer an important level of impact to begin the season. Jakob Poeltl did his best to guard Joel Embiid while recording 13 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. San Antonio also received 17 points and four assists from Tre Jones.
One of the more under-the-radar veteran Spurs tends to be Doug McDermott. He scored all 14 of his points in the second-half with four makes from beyond the arc being key.
“(McDermott) was basically our offense, especially down the stretch,” Popovich said. “He doesn’t make those shots, we’re in trouble. They cranked up their defense. They did a good job. They were attacking us at the other end and scoring. If he wasn’t doing that, we wouldn’t have won the game.”
The Spurs nearly won by double-figures despite the Sixers receiving a combined 80 points from Joel Embiid (40), Tyrese Maxey (25), and Tobias Harris (15). A balanced effort from the Spurs proved to be pivotal as they outscored Philadelphia in bench scoring 40-10.
“We had a good win last night (against Indiana) and we didn’t get complacent,” McDermott added after Saturday’s game. “We came out and competed against a really good team.”
The Spurs return to action on Monday when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves.
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