San Antonio Spurs could not return to their winning ways Sunday night as they succumbed to the Philadelphia 76ers, who saw Embiid dominating for another game.
Gregg Popovich praised his team for the fight in the post-game presser, as the Spurs remained close for most of the game and had the chance to play for the win in the closing minutes.
After trailing by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, the Spurs closed to 111-109 on Murray’s steal and breakaway layup with 33.2 seconds remaining.
“They had their chances at the end,” Popovich said. “But you make it very difficult when you spot someone a quarter, and we did it again. Same thing the last time we played them.”
Jakob Poeltl had a big game for the Spurs, despite going against Embiid. The bigman from Austria finished the game with a double-double, registering 25 points and 10 rebounds. Dejounte Murray followed him with 19 points and 12 assists as the Spurs dropped their 15th game at home.
“Jacob Poeltl is one guy, who brings it every minute that he’s on the court. He’s unbelievable and deserves a lot of credit for what he does out there”, coach Pop said after the game.
San Antonio dropped to 17-30 after its 115-109 loss to Philadelphia. The Spurs only won three games since Jan. 1, having a 3-11 record since the start of the year. After Sunday’s game, they will visit Houston Tuesday hoping to add to their winning total.
