The Spurs couldn’t pull off the win on the road against a 76ers team that lost Joel Embiid to an ejection in the first half. Great performances by Tyrese Maxey and Gershon Yabusele were too much to handle for the Silver and Black which made mistakes in the clutch and will head into their matchup with the Knicks following a painful and avoidable 111-106 loss.
It was hard to predict how tempers flare up and how involved the crowd would get in the game at the start. Both teams were playing at a glacial pace and with not a lot of zip, a style that benefited the 76ers. In that environment, Joel Embiid was getting the best of Victor Wembanyama, who couldn’t hit shots and struggled to contain the man who dropped 70 on him the last time they faced each other. With Wemby not looking sharp and sitting to avoid foul trouble a little earlier than usual, it was on Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell to keep the Spurs in it, and they answered the call. The second unit wasn’t as successful at stepping up, really having trouble scoring, but in such a slow, low-scoring game, it didn’t matter. Once Wemby returned, with Embiid resting, he looked more like himself and with the help of an active and aggressive Stephon Castle, led San Antonio to a one-point lead after one, 20-19.
There were some interesting developments on the court to start the second — a Sixers zone that worked until it didn’t, better energy from both squads — but the quarter belonged to the officials. Andre Drummond pushed Victor Wembanyama, who let himself fall to get a call. After the initial controversial first technical, Drummond and Wemby got tangled up again and one of the most bizarre sequences of officiating ever commenced. Drummond was initially ejected, but upon review, his second tech was rescinded, since the contact was minimal. Then Wembanyama got a technical call on him for flopping, which also got rescinded. At that point tensions were high and not long after, Wemby drew a charge on Embiid, who went at the officials and got himself ejected. Shockingly, both teams managed to remain focused after all that, with Wemby playing through boos and Tyrese Maxey leading his team to a three-point lead at the break.
The second half started with the same stars making their impact. Wembanyama hit some big threes to give the Spurs some momentum, but Maxey took over following a good stretch by Guershon Yabusele. The 76ers’ lead ballooned to 15 points before a response came, with Stephon Castle leading the charge. The rookie showed off his ball handling, strength and body control by getting to the rim at will and even hit a big three to cap off a fantastic stretch. The game was there for the taking for San Antonio, as the home team started to make mistakes and turn the ball over, but the big run needed to close out the quarter strong and head into the final frame ahead never came. The Silver and Black ended up losing that period by six points and put themselves in the position to have to come from behind and outplay Philadelphia in a close game.
Alas, it didn’t happen. There was an initial push filed by a higher pace some big threes by Julian Champagnie, but after that, the Sixers largely dictated how the game was played. They defended with a level of physicality that dared the officials to blow the whistle and when the calls didn’t come, San Antonio’s offense struggled. The home team was moving the ball well on the other end and getting good looks. It wasn’t a particularly well-executed quarter from Philadelphia, but they generally played harder. Even so, San Antonio did have the opportunity to clutch up a win, but two crucial turnovers by Champagnie, whose stellar earlier play got him a spot in the closing lineup, allowed Maxey to play the hero. He did just that by capping off a fantastic night with an And-1 dunk and then a gutsy three that put his team up four with 37 seconds to go and won them the game.
Play of the game
The Spurs putting Sochan in the dunker spot instead of having him be ignored while parked behind the arc on Wembanyama pick-and-rolls has unlocked the Wemby-to-Sochan lob. Plenty of centers — and Sochan is more and more often used as one on offense — have feasted from that spot and Sochan is great at making himself available.
Game notes
- The officiating was terrible for a while in favor of the Spurs but there’s a case to be made that it helped the Sixers in the long run. The building had zero energy to start the game, which changed with the ejections. Losing Embiid also forced them to play Yabusele at center, which reduced Wembanyama’s impact on defense, since he had to respect his countryman’s outside shot.
- Victor Wembanyama had another eye-popping stat line, finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds, four assists and eight blocks. The Western Conference Player of the Month continues to play like a superstar.
- Jeremy Sochan struggled on defense against Maxey, just like everyone else, but he had a good overall game. Mitch Johnson has used him as backup center recently and he has filled that role well, which just shows how versatile he is. He was also one of the few Spurs who played with energy from the start. Sochan’s just solid.
- Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson combined to shoot 0-for-9 from outside. Barnes went scoreless and had his minutes reduced and Johnson scored four points on six shots. Champagne was also struggling to hit shots for most of the game, before the fourth-quarter explosion. The lack of three-point shooting prevented the Spurs from making timely runs and was one of the reasons the Sixers got away with some abysmal stretches.
- Devin Vassell also struggled with the long ball (1-for-5) but got seven free throws to make up for it. It’s hard to judge Vassell offensive performances sometimes because it’s difficult to discern whether the moments he disappears on offense are his fault or the team’s since Paul runs the show and Wemby is the clear-cut first option. Whatever the case, the Spurs need more consistency from him.
- Steph Castle was in attack mode, which was severely needed in a game like this one. Castle was only thinking about getting to the paint for a while, taking advantage of the lack of rim protectors. The rookie has an understanding of what the team needs that is beyond his years. He has flaws but he also has special traits.
- Chris Paul played a season-high 34 minutes and 40 seconds. That’s too much, especially when Castle and Tre Jones are on the roster. Jones has not been good this year after battling with injuries and Castle doesn’t always play under control, but Mitch Johnson should probably rely on them more anyway, especially since opponents are physical with Paul to try to wear him down. Paul still performed well, but if the Spurs want to get the best out of him for the entire season, they need to monitor his minutes.
Next game: at New York Knicks on Christmas
The NBA wants to showcase Wemby to a national audience. Hopefully the big man will have a standout game and lead the Spurs to victory over an elite opponent.
