Three reasons the Sixers beat the Spurs
The Sixers showed great passing ability, crashed the boards well, and welcomed the return of Ben Simmons.
The Sixers won their fifth consecutive game with Sunday’s 134-99 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs, putting together one of their best all-around efforts.
There were many reasons for this win. Here are three.
Crisp passing and ball movement
The Sixers had 35 assists on 56 field goals. This might have been their best game in terms of ball movement. Five players had four or more assists, while just one San Antonio player had as many as four assists.
Here is one of the best passes, Dwight Howard finding Mike Scott off the backdoor cut for a dunk.
It was assumed with Joel Embiid out because of a left-knee bone bruise that the Sixers would try to run more. While they were effective in transition, they were even better in the half-court and two reason were the swift ball movement and the desire for players to make the extra pass.
» READ MORE: In welcoming fans to the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers took a necessary step toward normal | David Murphy
Rebounding
It was thought that, with Embiid out, the Sixers would have trouble on the boards. The Sixers, however, outrebounded San Antonio, 54-32. It was a collective effort, with nobody getting double figures in rebounds. Tobias Harris led the way with nine, including three on the offensive glass.
The Spurs were limited to 11 second-chance points, compared to 19 for the Sixers.
Ben’s return
Having quarantined for seven days after coming in contact with a barber who contracted COVID-19, Ben Simmons was able to play. It was his first action since March 3.
Before the game, coach Doc Rivers said that there would not be a minutes limit and that Simmons looked ready. Among the best conditioned athletes, Simmons didn’t show any signs of fatigue. Most of all, with Embiid out, he didn’t try to force the issue.
Simmons finished with an efficient 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting and dealt nine assists. When he wasn’t running the break, he was filling the lane, and he benefited from this pass from Tobias Harris.
Simmons started that play on the defensive end and hustled to finish it on the offensive end. Because of the blowout, Simmons played only 26 minutes and 2 seconds and, along with the rest of the starters, didn’t appear in the fourth quarter. In his limited time, he was highly efficient.