The Sixers lost to the San Antonio Spurs Monday night 119-68 in South Philly during a game where they were down by 30 in the second quarter and allowed a dominant stretch of the fourth quarter to 27 year old rookie undrafted free agent Boban Marjanovic.
Allen Iverson was in the house, taking over the Sixers' Twitter for the first quarter for a short Q&A.
Alright, let's do this! #AskTheAnswer pic.twitter.com/lbmzLjeaZU
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) December 8, 2015
After a hot start by Robert Covington and an early 11-10 lead, the wheels fell off at the first stoppage as the Spurs went on to outscore the Sixers 55-18 for the remainder of the half. Despite showing signs of life in the game's first few minutes the Sixers looked half asleep at times. While this team currently only has one win, they've consistently played hard throughout the season regardless of the score. Tonight seemed to lack their normal intensity.
Jahlil Okafor returned from his team imposed two game suspension coming off the bench for the first time in his young NBA career. While he was one of only four Sixers in double figures with 10 points, it was on 3-14 shooting and only collected four rebounds, far below his season averages of 17 and 8.
Robert Covington once again co-led the Sixers in points with Nerlens Noel, each contributing 13. Noel also customarily filled up the box score with a full stat line of 13 points, 6 boards, one assist, two steals, and a block. The Sixers struggled to score, shooting 34 percent overall and 17 percent from deep.
LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, two of San Antonio's offseason acquisitions, were essentially unguardable during the second that third quarters. Aldridge led the Spurs with 26 points on 73 percent shooting. Their ability to step out and hit jump shots made it difficult for Philadelphia to defend against dribble penetration by the Spurs' guards. Even with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Kawhi Leonard in street clothes for the night the Spurs played their usual brand of excellent basketball. Constant cutting and screen setting makes the Spurs an enjoyable watch for a basketball purist, when that mesmerizing offense is crushing someone else's team. The Sixers also allowed a career game from undrafted free agent Boban Marjanovic, who dominated the early fourth quarter with 18 points in 17 minutes on 80 percent shooting.
Earlier Monday the Sixers announced the hiring of longtime USA basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo as the Chairman of Basketball Operations and Special Advisor. There is speculation that this may be signaling a shift in the organization's attitude towards the future. Sam Hinkie has been confirmed to still be the General Manger and have final say in all personnel decisions.
The Sixers return to action on Thursday Dec. 10 at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn to face the 5-15 Nets.
