Jakob Poeltl shines on both ends as the Spurs fall to the Sixers

The San Antonio Spurs stayed within striking distance of the Philadelphia 76ers for the better part of three quarters on Sunday night, matching their cross-conference adversary shot for shot. But Joel Embiid was too hot for the good guys to handle as the superstar center took over the final frame with his dominant scoring and newfound playmaking chops.

Jakob Poeltl paced the Silver and Black with 25 points, ten rebounds, two assists, and four blocks. Dejounte Murray narrowly missed registering his tenth triple-double of the season as he went for 19 points, nine boards, 12 dimes, and a steal. Keldon Johnson had 17 points while Lonnie Walker IV and Devin Vassell combined for 29 points off the bench.

Dejounte Murray has been nearly automatic from midrange since the new year began, and the sixth-year floor general crossed up Charlie Brown Jr. before knocking down a pull-up jumper from the charity stripe.

And Murray continued putting together a first-quarter highlight reel as he drove into the heart of the paint, got to his favorite spot, and manipulated defenders mid-air to create an opening for Jakob Poeltl.

There aren’t many players who can match the size and physicality of Joel Embiid, but Keldon Johnson used all 220 pounds of his big body to convert a contested layup off the glass over the seven-foot shot-blocker.

Lonnie Walker IV paid homage to George Gervin and Manu Ginobili on the same play as he broke out a slippery euro-step while driving baseline and finished at the rim with an effortlessly smooth finger-roll.

Devin Vassell has been one of San Antonio’s most dependable long-range shooters this season, and the second-year swingman showed off his silky shot with a catch-and-shoot three courtesy of Dejounte Murray.

Doug McDermott battled Tobias Harris to keep him from establishing solid post positioning and broke up an erroneous entry pass as Keldon Johnson took the rock the other way for a fastbreak layup between three Sixers.

A few possessions later, McDermott left Furkan Korkmaz in the dust as he ran towards a Keldon Johnson screen before making a sharp backdoor for a two-handed slam off a pinpoint pass from Jakob Poeltl.

Keldon Johnson has quickly become a fan favorite for his relentless motor and thunderous dunks, and the third-year forward got the AT&T Center on their feet with a block that sent Furkan Korkmaz to the ground.

And as always, here are the full-game highlights.