Hot-shooting Spurs shock winless 76ers in Philadelphia
The San Antonio Spurs shot a blistering 16-for-38 (42%) from beyond the arc Saturday to stun the Philadelphia 76ers on the road 114-105.
The 76ers, who came into the season with championship aspirations, moved to 0-3 with the loss, matching their worst start to a campaign since 2017.
Last year's MVP runner-up Joel Embiid racked up a game-high 40 points and 13 rebounds, but Philadelphia's bench combined for just 10 total points.
"We're not ready to win right now," 76ers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters postgame, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
After trailing by eight to begin the fourth quarter, the 76ers pushed ahead to lead by one with eight minutes remaining before surrendering a 15-2 run that put the contest out of reach.
Veteran forward P.J. Tucker had a clear message for his teammates following the club's third consecutive defeat.
"It's almost like we played these first two games hard, competed, and felt like, 'OK, now we can win some games.' You still gotta go out and earn the game," Rivers said, per Austin Krell of The Painted Lines. "Tuck was yelling after the game, and he was right. No one's just gonna give you a win."
Devin Vassell led the way for San Antonio with 22 points and four threes, and seven different Spurs made at least one long ball. The road team totaled 40 points from its reserves.
Philadelphia will look to get into the win column Monday against the Indiana Pacers, while the 2-1 San Antonio will play the Minnesota Timberwolves.