The annual trip to Utah for the Sixers Summer League has been a successful one so far despite a rocky start. Trailing most of the first half, the Sixers had to come back strong against the Spurs if they were to still be within a chance of winning, and that they did. The Spurs did clinch the win with just 8 seconds left on the clock, but an impressive performance from a certain draft pick stole the show.
Jahlil Okafor started his Sixers career fantastically. Whilst he started slow, the first round pick scored eight points in the third quarter and racked up 20 points with 9 rebounds. The Sixers eeked out a 3 point lead following 3 baskets in a row from Okafor, but the Spurs came back with consecutive 3 pointers to take the lead, one they would not relinquish.
Jordan McRae also had a solid night, scoring 15 points and five rebounds. Jerami Grant added another 13 points to the scoreboard alongside six rebounds.
The key to the loss for Philly was outside shooting, or the lack there of. The Sixers shot jus t19% from three-point range and 34% of all shots combined. Spurs breakout star of the game Bertrans made one more three-pointer than the entire Sixers squad.
The Sixers return to action tonight in a game against the Celtics so it will be interesting to see what steps are taken to improve the outside shooting.
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