The Philadelphia 76ers are in San Antonio to take on the Spurs in the middle of a six-game road trip. After a win over the Mavericks to start the trip, the Sixers have lost two straight. The Spurs, meanwhile, are 3-2 over their last five games, including a 120-105 win over the Knicks on Wednesday night. The Spurs will be without both of their stars, Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (23-46) at San Antonio Spurs (29-39)
When: 8 p.m. EST
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Watch: NBA League Pass
Latest on the Sixers
What has happened to the Sixers this season is borderline insane, with the number of injuries decimating the team. The supposed starting five will all miss the game in San Antonio, as Joel Embid and Eric Gordon are out for the year.
Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Kelly Oubre Jr. are all out as they battle varying injuries, and Andre Drummond and Adem Bona are listed as out. The Sixers roster has been depleted more than anyone could have ever imagined.
In the absence of some of their biggest names, younger players, who may not have seen much time on the court, have been given vital roles and responded with the type of play that will help the team in the future.
Before being lost for the season, Jared McCain was a rookie of the year candidate when Gordon, Maxey, and Kyle Lowry missed time early. The Sixers gave him minutes and the chance to show that they got a steal of a pick in the draft. Justin Edwards and Adem Bona were also given minutes, with Edwards showing that despite not being picked in the draft last year, he is a genuine NBA talent who can contribute to the team.
After acquiring Quentin Grimes and a second-round draft pick from the Mavericks at the trade deadline, it looked like the Sixers were bringing in a placeholder for the remainder of the season.
In 18 games with the Sixers, Grimes has averaged 21.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists to go along with 1.6 steals per game. At 24 years old, the Sixers have lucked into another young and talented building block to pair with Tyrese Maxey for the future. The only issue for the Sixers will be trying to make up some cap room to retain the restricted free agent in the off-season.
Latest on the Spurs
Coming into the season, the Spurs had anticipated taking another step towards the playoffs and the goal of winning an NBA Championship behind the tall frame of Victor Wembanyama. In the 46 games he played before being lost for the season due to a blood clot, Wembanyama was averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists to go along with a ridiculous 3.8 blocks per game.
The young Spurs brought in Chris Paul in the offseason and then De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline for some veteran leadership. They had hoped the duo would be able to work with Wemby and players like Stephon Castle and Jeremy Sochan. Wembanyama’s injury has derailed that plan, but the team has still been playing well.
What to watch for tonight
While the Sixers are fortunate not to have to try to navigate the court with Wembanyama in front of them, they will still have a tough go against a Spurs team that’s coming off a win over the Knicks on Wednesday night. Quentin Grimes will be attacking as he has been for the past few weeks, with Jared Butler and Justin Edwards continuing to show growth and talent.
Edwards has had a rough time shooting of late, but over the past two games, he’s given the team 18.5 points on 48.3% shooting from the floor and, more importantly, 46.7% on his three-point attempts. Edwards has shown, in the time he’s been given, that he is a valuable piece of the Sixer’s future moving forward; given his continued development, he could take the place of Kelly Oubre Jr. next season as the Sixers will need to find some cheaper alternatives if they’re going to retain Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele.
The Sixers will need to have a solid defensive effort and good shooting performance if they’re going to get past the Spurs, but with the absence of Wembanyama as well as Fox, the team should be able to utilize their defense and ball movement to take advantage of a weakened Spurs lineup.
Prediction
Sixers 121 – Spurs 117
