The Sixers are in San Antonio to take on the Spurs as the season winds down and the playoffs loom. The Spurs are coming off a 136-134 loss to the Nuggets on Saturday night, but have a hold on the second seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Sixers took a tough 116-93 loss to the Pistons on Saturday and have some must-win games ahead of them to stay in the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (43-35) at San Antonio Spurs (59-19)
When: 8 p.m. EST
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX.
Watch: NBC League Pass, NBC Sports Philadelphia
After the loss to the Pistons, Embiid will return tonight as the Sixers hope to pick up a win and avoid the NBA's play-in tournament. Cam Payne recently suffered a hamstring sprain and is out for the remainder of the regular season and, more than likely, the start of the playoffs. Other than Payne, the Sixers should be heading into the playoffs healthier than ever.
Tonight, with Embiid's return, the team will face yet another playoff-like atmosphere against the Western Conference powerhouse Spurs and the rising young star, Victor Wembanyama. Embiid, as he often does, will try to make a statement to remind people who the best center in the league is.
With the second-best record in the Western Conference locked up, the Spurs don't have much to motivate them as they head into the playoffs in full health. But players like Wembanyama have to hit the 65-game mark to qualify for postseason awards, and right now, Wemby needs to play three of the next four games to reach it.
The Spurs had won 11 games in a row, heading into Saturday night's contest against the Denver Nuggets. Their last loss before that was on March 12, also to the Nuggets. Wembanyama finished with 34 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists, but the Nuggets outshot the Spurs on three-pointers, and it wound up being the difference.
The Spurs have the third-ranked scoring offense in the league, a top-ten defense, veterans and young stars, depth, and the league's biggest young star. It's transformed San Antonio into one of the best teams in the league, and they look like they'll be there for quite some time.
Wembanyama is having himself a great season, has been mostly healthy, and is leading his team, despite being just 22 years old. The problem for the young star is that he's running into an irritated Joel Embiid, who is one of the best, if not the best, scoring big men to play the game. Embiid's injury history has hurt what should have been an amazing story, but in these types of games, against players the league puts over him, he gets even more motivated.
Tonight is a true test for Nick Nurse, as he'll need to rotate his players with greater focus on continuity, as the team needs more from players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Dominick Barlow, and Quentin Grimes. Nurse has shortened up his bench, and the Barlow feel-good story, like last season's Guershon Yabusele one, isn't great on the stat sheet, but he has played well. Those minutes have seemed to disappear. Nurse will have to be creative, avoiding overworking the stars while keeping the reserves engaged. It's not an enviable position for a head coach, but this is why he's here. To have this team ready to make a deep run toward the playoffs, and that starts tonight.
Sixers 127 - Spurs 123
