NBA 2018-19: 3 talking points from San Antonio Spurs' blowout win over Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers versus San Antonio Spurs promised to be a tantalizing encounter because two teams possessing very talented rosters. Instead, it was a blowout with the Spurs seemingly back to their early season form.

The final scoreline read 123-96 in what was a fairly one-sided match right from the start of the second quarter. Rudy Gay, DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge all crossed the 20-point mark, as they scored with ease against the 76ers defense.

None of the Spurs starters played more than 30 minutes for the night as the match was decided well before then.

Ben Simmons, who recorded a triple double in the last game, scored a team-high 16 points for the 76ers. JJ Redick also chipped in with 16 points. But it was a very disappointing game for the 76ers who have one of the best squads this season.

With the victory, the Spurs improved to a 16-15 record and are lying 11th in the Western Conference standings. The 76ers stay at the 4th position in the East with a 20-12 record.

Here are the top 3 takeaways from the match:

#3 The experienced stars shine for the Spurs

Aldridge had a double-double night

DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge are the two All Stars for the Spurs side, and the team relies on their consistent output in each game. The two have been good for the Spurs this season and impressed again against the 76ers.

DeRozan, who is averaging 23.6 PPG this season, scored 20 points in 29 minutes of action. He shot 9-16 from the floor and didn't have any trouble scoring.

Aldridge also scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Meanwhile Rudy Gay, whose role has become even more pivotal in the absence of Kawhi Leonard, scored a game high 21 points on 10-15 shooting from the floor. He was 9-10 from the 2PT territory.

The Spurs need these players to keep shining if they want to qualify for the playoffs in this loaded West.

#2 Disappointing performances from Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler:

Joel Embiid struggled for the entire night against the Spurs

Joel Embiid has been playing at an elite MVP level this season, but he just didn't show up against the Spurs.

Embiid has been averaging 27 PPG and 13.4 rebounds per game for the season. In this game, he struggled mightily for his 13 points on 6-17 shooting from the floor. He also went 0-6 from the 3PT line.

Jimmy Butler was even more disappointing. The 76ers traded for Butler in the hope of challenging for the NBA championships this season. But he was not at his game in this match, scoring only 6 points on 3-13 shooting from the floor.

Performances like these from the All-Stars will never get a team anywhere. Both Butler and Embiid need to step up and motivate their teammates to come back from this embarrassing defeat.

#1 Great defensive effort from the Spurs:

San Antonio Spurs were good all around

Over the years, the San Antonio Spurs have been known to be the team with the best defensive identity in the league. But they have struggled on that end of the floor this season.

The trade of two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard and the injury to their defensive point guard Dejounte Murray are two of the major reasons for their struggles on defense this season.

But all the Spurs players showed up in this game and played elite team defense. The 76ers are a top 10 offensive side in the league this year, but the Spurs kept it locked down for them since the start of the second quarter.

The Spurs ended the match with 9 blocked shots, and constantly tried altering the ball on the defensive end. They also had only 6 turnovers for the match which greatly limited the fast break points for the 76ers and allowed the defense to get settled.

The Spurs next travel to the East Coast to face the Orlando Magic.