Player Observations After Sixers Snag a Win in San Antonio

When the Philadelphia 76ers started the week off with a game on the road against the Washington Wizards, they were coming off of two impressive wins over the

When the Philadelphia 76ers started the week off with a game on the road against the Washington Wizards, they were coming off of two impressive wins over the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.

After taking a beatdown in Washington, the Sixers bounced back with an expected win at home against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. While they were on a path to dominate the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers in South Philly on Friday night, the Sixers had a major second-half collapse.

Following their disappointing one-point loss against the Clippers, the Sixers looked to bounce back against the San Antonio Spurs on the road on Sunday night.

The last time these two teams met, the Spurs paid a visit to the Sixers on January 7. The 76ers protected their home court and sent the Spurs home with a 19-point loss. While things went slightly different this time around, the ending had a similar result.

From the jump, the Sixers got out in front and outscored the Spurs 29-23 in the first quarter. Before heading into the second half, the Sixers continued to rally. At halftime, Philly possessed a 59-47 lead.

Considering how things went the other night, the Sixers knew they had to keep their foot on the gas on Sunday night. While they continued to stay in the lead, the Spurs battled back in the third quarter and outscored the Sixers 30-27.

Although San Antonio chipped away at Philadelphia's lead and made the end result a lot closer than their previous outing against each other, the Sixers came out on top with a 115-109 victory. With that win, the Sixers picked up their 27th victory of the year.

Player Observations

Charlie Brown Jr.

Coming off of a rough offensive showing where he missed several layups against the Clippers, Charlie Brown looked much better on Sunday night. In 27 minutes of action, Brown went 3-6 from the field, scoring seven points. His last two performances made Doc Rivers hesitant to give him more minutes, but he looked much improved in San Antonio.

Tobias Harris

The veteran forward played his part well in San Antonio. With a 36-minute shift, Harris knocked down six of his 13 attempts from the field. In addition, he was a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Harris wrapped up the night with a double-double after collecting 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Joel Embiid

Ever since he got his footing back after a tough battle with COVID-19, Embiid has been one of the best players in the NBA. Once again, he flashed dominance on the road on Sunday night. In just 32 minutes on the floor, Embiid scored 38 points. He also made some impressive passes and collected six assists. 

Furkan Korkmaz

Lately, Korkmaz’s performances have been up and mostly down. In San Antonio, though, he made the most of the 37 minutes he spent on the floor. From the field, Korkmaz knocked down 54-percent of his shots. From beyond the arc, he was an impressive 3-5. In total, Korkmaz wrapped up the night with 17 points. It was the first time Korkmaz notched double-digit scoring since Philly’s January 12 matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.

Tyrese Maxey

With a shorthanded rotation, Maxey is being asked to play a lot of minutes once again. On Friday night, the second-year guard played all but three minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers. On Sunday, Maxey clocked in for another 42-minute shift. While his four turnovers were out of character, Maxey still had a decent outing as he collected 18 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Georges Niang

Philly’s shorthanded bench played a lot better on Sunday, but Niang continued to struggle with his shot. Once again, he drained just one three. After going 1-5 from the field, Niang wrapped up the night with only three points.

Andre Drummond

The veteran big man had a solid outing in San Antonio. With six points and seven rebounds, Drummond was effective with his limited 16-minute role off the bench against the Spurs.

Isaiah Joe

The second-year guard went back to coming off the bench after having a rough night on Friday. Fortunately for Joe, he bounced back. Checking in for nearly 27 minutes, Joe didn’t get too many shots up. However, he was efficient from the field. Knocking down two of his four shots, Joe wrapped up the night with eight points, which led the bench in scoring. 

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