Inside The Spurs

Philadelphia 76ers 'Dialed Up' Defensive Pressure in Win vs. San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs fell in a tough double overtime loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jeremy Brener

Apr 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham (22) reacts to a shot
Apr 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham (22) reacts to a shot / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
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The San Antonio Spurs are recovering after a 133-126 double overtime loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night at the Frost Bank Center.

The game featured a playoff-bound team and a rebuilding one, so for it to go down to the wire shows that the Spurs are making progress despite defeat.

Apr 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and
Apr 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

"They were great," coach Gregg Popovich said of his team. "Double overtime game. They're learning a lot but the difference in that game was the fact that they [76ers] could dial up their defensive pressure. 25 turnovers which resulted in 35 points, [we] shouldn't even be in the ball game if you do that. That's been one of our deals all year when that [defensive] pressure is dialed up."

The Spurs rank 22nd in the NBA in defensive rating, while the Sixers rank 11th. Philadelphia also was able to win the game without Joel Embiid, who sat on the second night of a back-to-back after returning to the court less than a week ago from a major knee injury.

This gave Victor Wembanyama an easier time as he scored 33 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. But he was held scoreless for the final eight minutes of the game, which propelled the Sixers to victory. That was the difference in the Spurs winning and losing against what is supposed to be one of the top teams in the East, and if that's how close they are, San Antonio isn't far off from where it needs to be.

The Spurs return to the court tomorrow night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Tipoff from the FedEx Forum is set for 7 p.m. CT.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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