Spurs hand 76ers third straight loss to open season, 114-105
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Doug McDermott hit four 3-pointers and scored all 14 of his points in the second half and the San Antonio Spurs beat Philadelphia 114-105 on Sunday night to send the 76ers to their third straight loss to open the season.
Devin Vassell scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half, and Keldon Johnson had 21. Coming off a 134-137 victory at Indiana on Friday night, the Spurs were 16 for 38 from 3-point range and had a 40-10 advantage in bench points.
Joel Embiid had 40 points as Philadelphia fell to 0-3 for the first time since 2016-17. Tyrese Maxey added 25 points, Tobias Harris had 15 and James Harden 12.
San Antonio (2-1) was more efficient defensively than in either of its first two games, where it yielded 131.5 points on average. The Spurs forced the 76ers into 12 turnovers and limited the second-chance points to 14.
The Spurs were effective in limiting good looks for Harden, who had averaged 33 points and shot over 54% in each of the first two games. Harden was 4 for 17 from the field, going 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
ODDS AND ENDS
Saturday night marked the first return to Philadelphia for Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown, who coached the 76ers from 2014 to 2020d. The club honored him with a video tribute during a first quarter timeout, which received a mix of cheers and boos. Brown returned to the San Antonio coaching staff this year after taking two years off.
UP NEXT
Spurs: At Minnesota on Monday and Wednesday nights.
76ers: Hosts Indiana on Monday night.
