The Sixers were thoroughly beaten by the Spurs on Tuesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
San Antonio had very little trouble on its way to a true blowout win. The final score was 131-91.
Tyrese Maxey was the Sixers’ top scorer with 21 points.
The 44-17 Spurs’ standouts included Devin Vassell (22 points), Dylan Harper (22 points) and Stephon Castle (15 points, 10 assists).
The 33-28 Sixers were down Joel Embiid (right oblique strain) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness). VJ Edgecombe was ruled out for the second half because of lower back soreness; more on that below.
The Sixers will host the Jazz on Wednesday night. Here are observations on their blowout loss to the Spurs:
Different world with Wembanyama on the floor
Victor Wembanyama blocked Andre Drummond inside on the night’s first possession.
The Sixers were justifiably wary about challenging San Antonio’s superstar center. He spooked a ton of ball handlers from venturing anywhere near the hoop and often looked on the verge of another block.
It’s not a stretch to say that Wembanyama is in own sphere as a rim protector. The NBA’s blocks leader swatted four shots in the first quarter and finished with six rejections in 24 minutes.
The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama was a large reason why the Sixers started 0 for 9 from the field. San Antonio took a 9-0 lead on a De’Aaron Fox three-pointer.
No shortage of bench scoring
The Sixers slid Quentin Grimes into the starting lineup with Oubre out. Justin Edwards got his first rotation minutes since Feb. 21.
Edwards sunk a corner three against the Spurs’ zone defense. He then knocked down another catch-and-shoot jumper to cut the Sixers’ deficit to 20-19. While Edwards’ playing time has fluctuated throughout an uneven Year 2 in the NBA, he’s been ready to hit jumpers as soon as he’s subbed in.
Cameron Payne also made two three-pointers in his opening stint. The lefty guard had his best scoring game since signing with the Sixers in February, posting 10 points.
Both benches provided plenty of first-half offense. Harper, the reigning Western Conference Rookie of the Month, made an immediate impact for the Spurs. The No. 2 overall pick and Rutgers product scored 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first quarter. Fellow rookie Carter Bryant added five points.
The Spurs’ starters blew the game open once they returned. San Antonio nailed a slew of threes during a lengthy run and led by as many as 27 points late in the second quarter.
On the other end, Drummond tried four long-range jumpers and missed all of them. Dominick Barlow briefly moved up to center after Drummond committed his third foul.
Edgecombe leaves early
Edgecombe fell hard to the floor after being fouled by Bryant on a three-point attempt with 0.2 seconds left in the second quarter.
He rose gingerly and held his back. Though the rookie stayed in to shoot his free throws (he made 2 of 3), the Sixers ruled Edgecombe out at halftime. Payne started the third quarter.
The Sixers will obviously hope that Edgecombe’s soreness subsides and he’s good to go soon. Regardless, it’s clear the Sixers are reliant on Edgecombe playing a major role. He entered the game averaging 35.4 minutes, which ranked sixth in the NBA and first among rookies.
The Spurs maintained a strong foot on the pedal to begin the third quarter and the Sixers’ performance was not pretty. Seconds after Barlow air balled a three multiple feet long, Vassell drilled a pull-up jumper.
Head coach Nick Nurse called timeout and several new Sixers checked in. Two-way contract players Tyrese Martin and Dalen Terry received extended garbage-time minutes. Jabari Walker was the team’s most productive player in the second half with 20 points and six rebounds.
The Sixers’ highest deficit was 49 points on a night they were inferior in just about every way.