Spurs outlast 76ers as Mills sinks buzzer beater, 114-117.
Another legitimate struggle for the Spurs ensued as the 76ers visited San Antonio, nearly leaving with a road victory, were it not for a remarkable clutch effort by Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol and Kawhi Leonard and....Patty Mills' cold-blooded dagger at the buzzer, fresh out of a timeout, to make his only 3PTer in the game after an off night.
The second dagger of this season, Mills was subbed in for Dejounte Murray, tasked with guarding Ben Simmons on a strong night for the LSU prodigy as he notched 22 points and 16 assists, a new career high that earned him player of the game honors. In the final minute, he whipped a pass to big man Joel Embiid for the easy layup, giving the 76ers a three-point lead.
Kawhi Leonard would drive to the basket, make the shot and the subsequent free-throw, the home crowd applauding the score-tying moment. Both Rudy Gay and Leonard had to fend off a final sixth foul for nearly the entire final period, with Gay forced to switch defensive tasks with Murray after having guarded Simmons for the majority of the game. Leonard mostly had a stalemate with Jimmy Butler, on the verge of fouling out, but also not shooting his own best from the field. Even Leonard was denied at the basket on what appeared to be one of his trademark dunks, an indicator that it just wasn't his night. Philadelphia seized the lead and kept holding it, until Butler's 3PTer bounced in, giving Philly a new 3PT lead with less than thirty seconds left on the clock.
The streak at its worst pressure threshold yet, the NBA world watched as the Spurs mounted a strategy on what could be their last possession on a 21-game win streak. Leonard paced on the perimeter with the ball, but saw Rudy Gay eyeing the onus at hand. Rudy buried the corner 3PTer, knotting the score yet again in a strong showing of 31 points. The 76ers called timeout, but Wilson Chandler's own corner 3PT shot rattled in and then rolled back out into the hands of Pau Gasol (18 points, 11 rebounds). The champion veteran called timeout, and Mills did the rest.
A bank shot for the ages, pulling up over Jimmy Butler for the three-point victory...
...The win streak now at 22.
The Spurs host next the Sacramento Kings, as Tony Parker returns to Texas in a different uniform.
The second dagger of this season, Mills was subbed in for Dejounte Murray, tasked with guarding Ben Simmons on a strong night for the LSU prodigy as he notched 22 points and 16 assists, a new career high that earned him player of the game honors. In the final minute, he whipped a pass to big man Joel Embiid for the easy layup, giving the 76ers a three-point lead.
Kawhi Leonard would drive to the basket, make the shot and the subsequent free-throw, the home crowd applauding the score-tying moment. Both Rudy Gay and Leonard had to fend off a final sixth foul for nearly the entire final period, with Gay forced to switch defensive tasks with Murray after having guarded Simmons for the majority of the game. Leonard mostly had a stalemate with Jimmy Butler, on the verge of fouling out, but also not shooting his own best from the field. Even Leonard was denied at the basket on what appeared to be one of his trademark dunks, an indicator that it just wasn't his night. Philadelphia seized the lead and kept holding it, until Butler's 3PTer bounced in, giving Philly a new 3PT lead with less than thirty seconds left on the clock.
The streak at its worst pressure threshold yet, the NBA world watched as the Spurs mounted a strategy on what could be their last possession on a 21-game win streak. Leonard paced on the perimeter with the ball, but saw Rudy Gay eyeing the onus at hand. Rudy buried the corner 3PTer, knotting the score yet again in a strong showing of 31 points. The 76ers called timeout, but Wilson Chandler's own corner 3PT shot rattled in and then rolled back out into the hands of Pau Gasol (18 points, 11 rebounds). The champion veteran called timeout, and Mills did the rest.
A bank shot for the ages, pulling up over Jimmy Butler for the three-point victory...
...The win streak now at 22.
The Spurs host next the Sacramento Kings, as Tony Parker returns to Texas in a different uniform.