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The Philadelphia 76ers travel to Texas to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. It could be an exciting match-up between two of the NBA's powerhouses.
The Philadelphia 76ers are coming into this game with a record that reads 26 wins and 19 losses, having won seven of their last 10 games in the NBA. After a slow start to the season, the 76ers seemed to have picked up steam and are showcasing why they are considered one of the best teams in the league. There is still no sight of Ben Simmons for the Philly-based franchise as they have to make do without their superstar for what it looks like the entire season.
Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs, led by arguably the greatest coach of all time in Gregg Popovich, have had a slow start to the season as they find themselves in the 13th spot in the Western Conference standings with a record that reads 17 wins and 29 losses as their postseason ambitions are hanging on by a thread. They have lost three of their last 10 games and despite the exploits of Dejounte Murray, the likelihood of the Spurs record improving is slim to none.
Match Details
Fixture: San Antonio Spurs vs Philadelphia 76ers | NBA Season 2021-22.
Date & Time: Sunday, January 23rd; 7:00 PM ET (Monday, January 24th; 5:30 AM).
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers, for all their championship aspirations, find themselves in the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference but seemed to have turned a corner. Led by Joel Embiid, the 76ers will hope to go one step further this time and reach the Eastern Conference Finals this year, if not reach the NBA Finals.
Along with Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle, with his incredible defense, has come under immense praise, especially for his performance against Steph Curry a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Tobias Harris has come under immense scrutiny lately for his poor performances, and the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly willing to part ways with the forward, who is only shooting a meager 31.6% from range.
With Doc Rivers at the helm, the Philadelphia 76ers need to make the Eastern Conference Finals at the very least, or else this season will be considered a bust. For that to happen, someone like Tobias Harris will need to contribute a whole lot more.
Key Player - Joel Embiid
The best center in the NBA right now, barring Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid has been carrying the expectations of the Philadelphia 76ers for some time now. Without Ben Simmons, the onus has been even more on Embiid. The big man has responded well, averaging 28.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting higher than 39% from the perimeter and nearly 50% from the floor.
One of the best aspects of Embiid's game is his ability to space the floor and drag the opposition big man out to the perimeter. That subsequently created more space for the rest of his teammates to exploit. Moreover, his size, girth and footwork near the rim make him a daunting prospect to guard against.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Tyrese Maxey; Shooting Guard - Furkan Korkmaz; Small Forward - Isaiah Joe; Power Forward - Tobias Harris; Center - Joel Embiid.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
The San Antonio Spurs have had a tough season thus far in the highly competitive Western Conference as they find themselves languishing at the wrong end of the table. However, they are less than three games behind the 10th seed Portland Trail Blazers and if they can put together a good run of wins, then they could very well be in contention for the postseason.
The Spurs have struggled tremendously on the defensive end of the floor as they are ranked 20th in the league in terms of defensive ratings and much of this comes from their struggles with pick-and-roll. They are ranked 27th in the league for opposition points in the paint and this has contributed to many of the problems for the Spurs.
Offensively, they aren't that much better, as they are ranked 19th in the league in terms of offensive rating as they rank 25th in the league in terms of true shooting percentage.
Key Player - Dejounte Murray
One of the contenders for the Most Improved Player award, Dejounte Murray has been the only beacon of hope for the San Antonio Spurs this season. The guard is averaging 19.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.9 assists this season while shooting the ball better than 32% from beyond the arc and 45% from the field.
Murray has recorded nine triple-doubles and 21 double-doubles while shooting the ball better than 73% from the free throw line as his ability to improve his teammates and get them open shots has been clearly evident with his performances.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Dejounte Murray, Shooting Guard - Derrick White, Small Forward - Doug McDermott, Power Forward - Keldon Johnson, Center - Jakob Poeltl
76ers vs Spurs Match Prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers have too many starters missing for the game as the likes of Simmons, Curry and Matisse Thybulle are all away from the team while the San Antonio Spurs have all their starters available to them. However, with the way Joel Embiid is playing, it is hard to not see the 76ers come away with a win.
Where to watch 76ers vs Spurs game?
The Philadelphia 76ers - San Antonio Spurs game will be broadcast on local TV - BSSW-SA and NBCSP. You can also catch live action through the NBA League Pass.
