Sixers melt down in crunch time in loss to Spurs

Philadelphia melted down in crunch time to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against the San Antonio Spurs. Four Sixers scored at least 20 points.

Here's what I saw.

Likes

- The first five minutes of the game were a testament to how good ball movement and decision-making can make up for sub-par talent and how a bad defense can prop up an opposing offense. Philadelphia, seemingly developing a chemistry on the island of misfit toys, has carved an offensive identity out of running and playing with youthful energy. It's not much, but they can function coherently if you're sleep-walking. The spacing and pace were very good in the early-going, so much so that Guerschon Yabusele felt comfortable attacking off the dribble from the trail position on a few possessions. You weaponize spacing and pace with crisp passing, and the Sixers got off the ball quickly. That gave rise to some excellent looks from beyond the arc, and even these guys can strike from time to time when left open.

I can say all that and still state that the Spurs basically helped them. San Antonio is 27th in defense, per Cleaning They certainly made the Sixers look good in those first five minutes.

- Justin Edwards developing an isolation game has been such a pleasant surprise in this second half of the season. He went from being almost strictly a catch-and-shoot three-point guy when he first broke the rotation to being a comfortable off-the-dribble scorer capable of manufacturing routes into the paint.

- Yabusele absolutely ate on a rare night when the opposition didn't have traditional size. Not only did the Spurs lack height, but they also lacked mass. Yabusele had every opportunity to punish mismatches inside and took full advantage. Fun night at work for him.

Dislikes

- The Quentin Grimes point guard experience is him rifling a gorgeous cross-court dot to Justin Edwards for a corner three and then air-mailing a pass into the seats a short while later. The price just went down a dollar.

(While that is microcosmic of the Grimes lead ball-handler experience, I would be remiss to ignore that he had a double-double with assists and genuinely made some good passing reads. Carving up the Spurs isn't sufficient evidence if you want to argue he's a lead ball-handler. But a good game of point guard play from him, overall. The price just went up a dollar.)

- Ricky Council IV moves faster with the ball in his hands than most cars do on roads. The problem is that he does so with the control of a car on ice.

(Again, I must wear some egg for this one. Council, in all of his out-of-control wildness, had an excellent night in the box score. Maybe not always aesthetically pleasing, but a productive day of work.)

- This team's basketball IQ drops a point every time they leave their feet to make passes. Fellas, if you jump, you are committed to a decision. You'd be best served to have that decision made before you leave the floor.

- Poor Yabusele having to chase some of these passes out of the roll. He might need two baseball gloves to have a chance, and that still might not be enough. 

Spare thoughts

- Jenna Schroeder was one of the officials in this game, which is only notable because she was highly controversial in the game these two teams played in Philadelphia back in December. If you forget, let me remind you - Andre Drummond ejected, then ejection rescinded, then Joel Embiid ejected. I have no idea whether the league just coincidentally assigned her this game or a computer automates the assignment process. Not that either organization should've wanted to win this game.

- When the Sixers are on the road, I like to watch assistant coach Bryan Gates after every basket the opposition makes. He has this shoulder slump as if to say "C'mon, guys" every time the Sixers allow a basket and then jots something down on a piece of paper. What that note is, I don't know. Do I want to know? Hell yeah.

- Picture this: Tyrese Maxey pocket pass to Cooper Flagg out of the pick-and-roll, rim protector lifts to stop the ball and Flagg lobs one to a cutting Edwards or Grimes for a dunk.

The Sixers (23-47) will visit the Atlanta Hawks (33-36) on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus.

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