San Antonio Spurs (60-20) beat Philadelphia 76ers (43-36) 115-102 at home on Monday, April 6, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Spurs struck first, taking the opening quarter 29-28 and a 1-point lead after one. The Spurs kept the pressure on with a 33-27 second quarter, carrying a 7-point lead into halftime.
The teams matched each other with 30 points apiece in the third quarter, so the Spurs remained ahead by 7 entering the fourth. The Spurs took the fourth 23-17; the Spurs finished the job for a 115-102 regulation win.
What decided it
The Spurs got more from their shots, finishing at 55.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 44.3% for the 76ers. The Spurs took better care of the ball, turning it over on 9.1% of possessions compared with 11.6% for the 76ers. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The 76ers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 27.3 against 18. The Spurs made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 118.9 points per 100 possessions to 105.5 for the 76ers.
The Spurs' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 50-18.
Who made the difference
Joel Embiid was the game's biggest individual force for PHI: 34 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast, 4 blk on 8-19 shooting. His Game Score of 26.6 led everyone. His team was -7 with him on the floor.
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 19 pts, 10 reb, 13 ast on 6-13 shooting, good for a 22.8 Game Score.
Stephon Castle (19 pts, 10 reb, 13 ast) and Joel Embiid (34 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Spurs about a 88% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, San Antonio Spurs lead 2-1.
The Spurs are now 60-20, and the 76ers are 43-36. The Spurs last five before this game: W-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.