Spurs vs. 76ers recap, reactions: Cold shooting night leads to ugly loss

SAN ANTONIO, TX - JANUARY 26: Kyle Anderson
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JANUARY 26: Kyle Anderson /
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A poor shooting night from the San Antonio Spurs led to a loss vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Spurs had one of their ugliest games of the season tonight. San Antonio looked out of synch and slow on their way to 97-78 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Philly had not won a game in San Antonio since 2004 coming into tonight. With how the Spurs played it’s no surprise that they were able to end that drought. By scoring a measly 78 points tonight San Antonio set a new season low. Their previous low was 79 against Detroit back in December.

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From the outset, you could tell that this game was going to be a tough one. Philadelphia is a solid team, they’re currently ranked 6th in the East, tonight they looked even better than normal. Ben Simmons is a matchup problem for any team but against the Kawhi-less Spurs, he feasted. He would only miss one field goal attempt all night and was slashing and dishing his way to 7 assists. There were moments where it looked like he was corraled, forced to go baseline, only to throw a great pass to the permitter for the open three.

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On the other hand, San Antonio couldn’t buy a three tonight. Davis Bertans and Danny Green, two of our best shooters, combined to go 1-11 from behind the arc. The looks were there but the shots just weren’t dropping.

Tough to find a silver lining in this ugly game but here it goes; LaMarcus Aldridge continued, as he has all season, to be the engine that drives the Spurs machine. The All-Star forward scored 18 tonight. He has scored in double digits every single time he has taken the court this season. The man is as consistent as they come. He also recorded his 7,000th career rebound.

LA just recorded his 7,000th career rebound.

He's the ONLY player in the @NBA with 16,000+ points and 7,000+ rebounds since he entered the league in 2006. pic.twitter.com/0OKcZvSRGj

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 27, 2018

Dejounte Murray had a solid performance as well. The young guard had 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. He continues to show flashes of what he can become. Not many guards have a natural affinity for grabbing rebounds like he does. That, combined with his length and athleticism, make him one of the most exciting, yet under-hyped, players in the league. There are still some moments that leave you scratching your head. Drives into crowded lanes and ill-advised/early shots are part of the learning curve for young guards. In time they will disappear. With mentors like Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, Murray is set up for success as well as any young guard in the NBA. Get excited Spurs fans, this is going to be fun to watch over the coming seasons.

We are proud to call Military City, USA our home. —– Our new Nike City Edition uniform honors the service men and women of the U.S. armed forces, many of whom have spent time in San Antonio during their careers. —– Jerseys will debut against the 76ers during a USAA Salute Night on Jan. 26th.

A post shared by San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) on

San Antonio is known as the Military City. In homage to that name, and to honor the men and women of the armed forces who call San Antonio home, Nike designed the City Edition uniforms with a SICK silver and black camo. Nike has done a bang-up job with many of the City Edition uniforms (Have you seen Miami’s? They’re amazing) but San Antonio’s unique connection to the armed forces and the visual tribute to that in the jerseys is particularly special.

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San Antonio will try to bounce back against the Kings on Sunday. Philly will face OKC on Sunday as well in what should be quite the exciting matchup