76ers at Spurs
THE STORY: The Philadelphia 76ers got themselves a big victory on Friday to strengthen their grip on the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The San Antonio Spurs are one of the best home teams in the NBA and sit No. 2 in the West, but the 76ers still might have the advantage on Sunday. Philadelphia gets the Spurs on the last night of a back-to-back-to-back stretch.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSP (Philadelphia), FSSW (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (27-21): Philadelphia stumbled into Friday’s showdown with the Boston Celtics having of four of its previous five games, but found its rhythm in the second half and cruised to a 99-86 win. The 76ers would have not only lost the lead in the Atlantic Division but would have slipped from No. 4 to No. 7 in the East with a loss. First in the NBA in fewest points allowed, Philadelphia rarely has a slip-up on the defensive end. Where the 76ers can struggle is on offense. They have averaged 85.3 points in six losses this month and have reached at least 99 points in each of their six March victories.
ABOUT THE SPURS (32-14): San Antonio went into Philadelphia on Feb. 8 and came out with a 100-90 victory behind 37 points and eight assists from Tony Parker. The Spurs dominated the paint in that meeting, outscoring the 76ers 54-38 on the inside. San Antonio has taken the first two of its back-to-back-to-back set and has won six of its last seven to stay within three games of the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder. After outlasting the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks with over 100 points in the previous two games, the Spurs took care of things on the defensive end in an 89-86 win at New Orleans on Saturday.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Philadelphia F Elton Brand has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in six of the last seven games.
2. The teams have traded wins and losses over the last nine meetings, with San Antonio taking the last matchup.
3. Parker has put up 14.9 points and 6.1 assists in 21 career games against the 76ers.