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Tony Parker and Matt Bonner got the night off with some "injuries". Danny Green and Tiago Splitter dressed, but they didn't enter the game and got some much deserved rest.
This being the Sixers it wasn't a problem. The Sixers actually played with a bit of fire and certainly weren't just a squad that is looking forward to their vacation. They were never in danger of actually competing for the win, but their effort was good. I hope Brett Brown has success in Philly for years to come.
Pop started Cory Joseph, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Boris Diaw and Tim Duncan. The Spurs shot 56% from the floor and 48% from deep after a couple of sub 40% outings. The boys looked good, if not especially sharp, against the measuring twig of Philly.
Austin Daye led the Spurs in scoring. Yup. That's the truth. He had 22 points on 8-of-13 from the field and 6-of-10 from deep. He also grabbed six boards, blocked two shots, stole two balls, and tallied an assist without turning the ball over. I don't want to speculate on what he can bring, if anything, to the Spurs in a long-term situation, but he played pretty well on Monday night.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter Mills had the ball in transition. He gave it up to Manu who was open at the left wing and Mils moved to the corner. Manu pump faked and hit Patty in the corner for an open triple. This made the score 92-78, and it just seemed mean. Great, but mean - not intentionally, but the execution was excellent and for some reason it struck me as unfair or something. I suppose the Sixers have been on the wrong end of plenty of great plays during their rebuilding season, so it wasn't like the Spurs broke them or anything. It was all formalities from there as the Spurs were fully in control of the game. The Sixers cut the lead to 13 with about five minutes left in the fourth, but the Spurs were never in danger of losing this one.
Yeah, the Spurs were supposed to win this one, but it's the NBA and every win is pretty good. The boys are in great form going into the final stretch of the season, and the Playoffs will be here in just 26 days.
Check out the perspective of the Sixers' fans at Liberty Ballers.