Philadelphia 76ers @ San Antonio Spurs Game Preview
By Josh Wilson
Russell Westbrook led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a big win over the Philadelphia 76ers last night. Unfortunately, it won’t get any easier.
Going up against the San Antonio Spurs is never any fun for a team that’s struggling to find their identity. The Philadelphia 76ers will undoubtedly have a tough time on Saturday night. The Spurs franchise has been insanely difficult to take down since most can remember, and the same will be said for the Sixers on Saturday night.
The Spurs sit at 6-2 going into this game, but the history of their franchise says a lot more than this season alone. In the last decade, they have won two championships, and seemingly always been in the conversation for contending for another title. Some think that the core members of their team are reaching their retirement age, but for the time being, they’re still trucking along, and with some pretty good stats to show.
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Theres lots of big names to keep track of, including Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. Ginobili has been playing off-the-bench, but may be the biggest piece of the game. His 11.0 points and 3.8 assists per game give the team a second wind that is hard to overcome. The Spurs’ have a great starting lineup, and a decent backup core as well, which means they’ll be attacking on two fronts on Saturday.
Most of these matchups are not going to be won by the Sixers. The Sixers currently weak and injured roster can’t get up to the Spurs’ level. This will be the case with a lot of playoff caliber Western Comference teams.
The one matchup that the Sixers have a chance at winning is, as usual, the matchup that includes Jahlil Okafor. Okafor hasn’t been shut down completely by any specific center yet, although he did have a tough time on Friday against Oklahoma City. He’s been diminished, but even then, he usually comes near 20 points. Tim Duncan may prove to be a worthy opponent, but Okafor has gone up strong against other centers like Pau Gasol and Jonas Valanciunas. Fans are hoping Okafor is able to bounce back after his six point showing on Friday.
Against Gasol Okafor scored 21 points and 15 rebounds, and against Valinciunas he put up 26 points and seven rebounds. Duncan is scoring 11.0 points and 9.1 rebounds this year. Duncan, although a big man, takes a lot of shots from 3-10 feet rather than right at the rim. He demonstrates a range that’s sometimes difficult to shut down for defenders like Jahlil Okafor. This would be easily counter-able if they could slip Nerlens Noel onto Duncan on defense, but then Okafor would have to defend LaMarcus Aldridge, an even more difficult task.
Aldridge takes over 40% of his shots from beyond 16 feet, so it would be a nightmare for a player like Okafor to try and defend that without getting exhausted. So, the better option is keeping Okafor on Duncan, and hoping he can contain him.
Overall, this is a difficult matchup that the Sixers are seen as underdogs in for a reason. The Spurs are a Western Conference caliber team for a reason, and shutting them down is hard for anyone, and especially hard for a team that has no wins yet.
Final take
The Sixers won’t be able to overcome the Spurs depth, and will fall by double digits.
Where to catch the game
- TCN Philly is broadcasting the game.
- 97.5 has the game on the radio.
- NBA League Pass is available for anyone out of market or anyone who needs to stream.