Spurs 92, 76ers 83
SAN ANTONIO - LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 19 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs received double-figure scoring from four of its five starters while beating the hapless Philadelphia 76ers 92-83 on Saturday.
Spurs guard Tony Parker and fellow native Frenchman forward Boris Diaw stood at half court before the game with their teammates as a moment of silence was observed for the victims of Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris. The French national anthem was then played as the lights of the arena were kept low in tribute.
San Antonio, which resides in first place in the NBA's Southwestern Division at 7-2, missed forward Kawhi Leonard, who did not play because of a respiratory infection. Guard Manu Ginobili also was out with adductor tightness but the Spurs still had enough firepower to keep Philadelphia winless after 10 games. Leonard had been the Spurs' leading scorer in five of their first eight games.
Parker scored 16 points for the Spurs and forward Tim Duncan added 15. Guard Kyle Anderson, who made his first career, and forward David West had 10 points apiece.
Rookie center Jahlil Okafor led Philadelphia (0-10) with 21 points and added a team-high 12 rebounds. Forward Jerami Grant added 12 points for the 76ers, who were outrebounded 54-41.
The Spurs wasted no time setting the tone for their wire-to-wire win by roaring out to a 10-2 lead in the game's first three minutes. Parker had six points in that opening surge for San Antonio and eight in the period which ended with the Spurs up 20-12.
Both teams struggled from the field in the first period, with Philadelphia shooting just 22.2 percent and the Spurs hitting on only seven of their 25 shots (28 percent).
The 76ers used a 7-2 run of their own early in the second quarter, with deep 3-pointers from Grant and swingman Hollis Thompson, to cut the Spurs' advantage to 28-23. But San Antonio regained its stride, using two baskets from Duncan, two more from guard Ray McCallum and a jumper from West to push the lead back to 37-28 with 4:50 to play in the period.
Philadelphia kept within shouting distance throughout the rest of the second quarter and cut the Spurs' advantage to 43-39 on JaKarr Sampson's tip-in at the buzzer. San Antonio was 0-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc in the first half.
Neither team found its shooting touch in the third quarter, but the Spurs allowed Philadelphia just two offensive rebounds and limited its second chances. Meanwhile, 3-pointers by Anderson, guard Danny Green and forward Rasual Butler for the Spurs offset a 3-pointer by Philadelphia forward Christian Wood and a steal and dunk by guard Phil Pressey and helped San Antonio pull away to a 76-60 lead entering the final quarter.
NOTES: The Spurs have eight double-doubles recorded by four players - F LaMarcus Aldridge, who has four, and PF Tim Duncan and SF Kawhi Leonard with two apiece. ... The Spurs recalled F Jonathon Simmons from the Austin Spurs of the D-League. Simmons has yet to appear in a game this season for San Antonio or Austin. ... G Manu Ginobili (adductor strain) and Leonard (upper respiratory infection) were both held out Saturday. ... San Antonio has won nine straight against the 76ers, with the last loss coming in 77-71 defeat in Philadelphia on Feb. 11, 2011. ... Rookie C Jahlil Okafor blocked three shots and had six rebounds Friday in the 76ers' loss at Oklahoma City. He matched his career-high with 26 points and leads the team in scoring (10.0 ppg) and minutes (33.3 mpg). ... Okafor is one of two rookies in the NBA to register 15 or more rebounds in a game this season.