Give the ball to Victor Wembanyama and let him take you to the end line. That’s the luxurious the San Antonio Spurs have when taking part in with a lead. Sadly, the Philadelphia 76ers used the identical blueprint with Tyrese Maxey and a superior supporting solid. The consequence was an exciting however demoralizing end to regulation en path to a 133-126 double-overtime loss to Philadelphia.
No matter how nice you play offensively, it’s robust to win video games when an opposing participant pours in 52 factors. Contemplating the 19-of-41 capturing, we received’t say Maxey was unstoppable, however protecting him was a frightening process and required a degree of consideration that left his teammates in place to attain. Kelly Oubre was certainly one of them, scoring 26 factors.
The Spurs will mark the loss down as a sport they need to’ve received. The 76ers have been within the hazard zone when happening by 10 with slightly below 9 minutes left, however the Spurs offense stalled whereas Maxey and Nic Batum pumped life into Philly’s comeback hopes. After ultimately giving up the lead, San Antonio weathered the storm of the momentum shift and regarded sure for a victory when Wembanyama discovered Julian Champagnie to take a 111-109 lead with 2.1 seconds left.
Philadelphia responded with a miraculous layup by Maxey with below a second remaining to ship the sport to time beyond regulation. After taking part in to a tie within the first time beyond regulation, the Spurs have been neck-and-neck with Philadelphia till Batum and KJ Martin scored on consecutive possessions to present the 76ers a 133-126 lead with simply over a minute left.
Recreation Notes
The Spurs have performed the position of comeback children in a handful of video games for the reason that finish of the All-Star break, and Sunday was a glimpse of what Wembanyama can do in crunch time when taking part in with a lead. Just a few of his extra spectacular performs down the stretch have been passes when the 76ers despatched assist protection in opposition to him.
Even when mid-air, Wembanyama’s potential to make magic occur is past perception. Defend him with one man, or he’ll get an help. That trait has resulted within the likes of LeBron James and Nikola Jokic spending time within the “greatest participant within the league” tier.
If the Spurs ultimately turn into what’s anticipated of them, Wembanyama could have loads extra alternatives to win video games. However the short-handed Spurs, who’ve struggled at full energy, are removed from able to persistently present Wemby with the cushion they’d earlier than their final-minute collapse in opposition to the 76ers.
