SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs used a balanced attack from their ‘Big Three’ to earn a 123-96 blowout victory over the Philadelphia 76ers (19-11) at the AT&T Center on Monday night.
The win saw the Spurs bounce back from a surprising loss to Chicago as they completed their six-game homestand with a 5-1 record and have won five of their last six games.
“They’re starting to figure out each other more than anything,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Guys look for mismatches and defensively, we’re playing with more reason. I’m happy with the progress on this homestand.”
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs, as well as three standout players: LaMarcus Aldridge, Davis Bertans, and Rudy Gay.
The Good:
- The Spurs wrapped up their homestand with a win, going 5-1. Now let’s see if San Antonio can take his same attitude on the road.
- DeRozan, Aldridge, and Gay all had 20 or more points in the same night, marking the third time that has happened.
- The Spurs are 9-2 when holding teams to below 100 points.
The Bad:
- San Antonio started slow, allowing a 12-2 run by Philly in the first quarter.
Three Standout Players:
LaMarcus Aldridge:
The Spurs forward dominated in the post and on the boards all night long, putting the team on his back and leading them to a win.
Aldridge finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes of action. He stepped up as he scored six straight buckets for the Spurs, who went on a 20-6 run to take a nine-point lead in the second and never look back.
Davis Bertans:
The forward came off the bench for San Antonio and delivered for the second unit but he did so on both ends of the floor.
Bertans finished with 16 points as he went 3-for-4 from three-point range. He would also add six rebounds and three assists to his stat sheet as he continues his outstanding play, earning praise from Coach Pop postgame.
Rudy Gay:
Perhaps the most impressive play on the court was Rudy Gay, who is likely having his best season ever in the NBA.
Gay finished the game with 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 29 minutes of work. He scored from all sides of the court and he was aggressive defensively as he helped the Spurs limit Philly to just 96 points on the night.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 16-15 on the season and will return to the court on Wednesday night when they hit the road to face the Orlando Magic (14-15) at 6 pm Central Time.
