Spurs control east rival 76ers on road, 119-103.

The Philadelphia 76ers (13-2) were given a third defeat by their twice Finals foe of recent memory, spoiling a 38-PT downpour by James Harden. It took The Beard thirty shots to get there, though, with Ben Simmons put on an island by the Spurs defense (9 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists). Tobias Harris scored 24 points, with 10 & 8 by Clint Capela. The rest of Philly's shooters did little to make things interesting, trailing continually by around 15 points all game long.

1st Qtr: 26-12, SA

2nd Qtr: 30-29, SA

3rd Qtr: 32-29, SA

4th Qtr: 33-31, PH

Brandon Ingram had 26 points to lead the Spurs. Fred VanVleet was on fire for 21 points, hitting 5-6 from long range. Evan Fournier had 13 points. Marc Gasol contributed 13 off the bench, behind a huge 11pt/20reb showing by Drummond. Dejounte Murray had 10 points, but fought foul trouble and lost. KCP had 9 points.

When asked post-game about possible lineup changes and Harden's usage rate, Philly's new head coach, Doc Rivers, said "We'll see, but we have a strong team. On the other hand, we only meet this team one more time and we're hoping to get a leg up next time around." The 76ers last lost to the Spurs in an insane, double overtime classic, bowing out 4-0 in a sweep, just two seasons ago. The year prior, Philly took one game from the Spurs. Last year, the Lakers knocked out the 76ers in a seven-game war, which prompted the Sixers to make a coaching change, before the Lakers were swept themselves in an unforgettable, experimental all-west Finals.