76ers at Spurs
Unsurprisingly, the San Antonio Spurs have contributed to the Philadelphia 76ers' misery over the past few seasons, a trend the host Spurs will try to keep alive when the teams tangle on Saturday. San Antonio has won eight straight meetings dating back to Feb. 11, 2011, and 10 in a row at home since a setback to the 76ers on Jan. 3, 2004.
There's no reason to expect a different outcome for the Spurs, who have won three in a row by an average of 16.7 points. LaMarcus Aldridge made a triumphant return to Portland with 23 points to lead San Antonio to a 113-101 victory on Wednesday. Philadelphia dropped its ninth straight to begin the season by falling 102-85 at Oklahoma City on Friday. Rookie Jahlil Okafor, who entered the contest leading all rookies with 20.6 points per game, was held to six on 3-of-18 shooting as the 76ers lost their 19th straight overall.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (0-9): Head coach Brett Brown will have loads of fluctuations in his rotations as he seeks some sort of a spark, and lately he has been giving rookie big man Christian Wood more of a look. Wood produced his first career double-digit effort with 15 points in the loss to the Thunder and is averaging 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench over a three-game span. He was one of just three Sixers to hit the 50 percent mark from the floor on Friday, when the Sixers shot 34.9 percent.
ABOUT THE SPURS (6-2): San Antonio may be without leading scorer Kawhi Leonard (illness) and key reserve Manu Ginobili (adductor), and with the 76ers in town it may be a good time to get them some extended rest. Depth is not an issue for the Spurs, and they've become even more extended with recent contributions from veteran Rasual Butler (11 points, five assists, three steals in the last two games) and resurgent point guard Patty Mills. The sixth-year pro is shooting 55.1 percent (compared to 38.1 last season) while averaging career highs of 2.8 assists and 21 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. San Antonio PG Tony Parker needs two assists to become the 34th player in NBA history to record 6,000.
2. 76ers SF Robert Covington (knee) is expected to miss one more game before returning Monday against Dallas.
3. Spurs PF Tim Duncan needs four blocked shots to tie Hall of Famer David Robinson (2,954) for fifth on the all-time list.