Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Philadelphia 76ers – Game #43

Tre Jones and the Spurs will attempt to put a winning streak together (Photo via Twitter)

The San Antonio Spurs will try to capture a second straight victory tonight when they play a road game against the Philadelphia 76ers. After defeating the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, the Spurs improved to 8-34 on the season. The Sixers come into tonight’s contest with a record of 28-13, the third best record in the Eastern Conference.

Against the Wizards, Victor Wembanyama led the way with 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six blocks. The Spurs also got a very strong game from Jeremy Sochan, who totaled 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field (see the Grades).

The 76ers enter tonight’s game as one of the hottest teams in the league. They’ve won five straight games. Joel Embiid, the 2022-23 NBA MVP, has been on fire since returning from injury. In his last four games, he’s averaging 37.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists, while shooting 54.5% from the field, 35.7% from three-point range and 90.9% from the charity stripe.

San Antonio Spurs Injury Update

Unfortunately, the Spurs are dealing with a couple injuries. Zach Collins, who missed a few weeks with an ankle injury, is questionable for tonight’s game due to his ankle. Sidy Cissoko remains sidelined due to an ankle injury.

If Collins can’t play, expect Dominick Barlow to become the team’s backup center. Sandro Mamukelashvili will also provide depth at that position.

San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup

Victor Wembanyama will play tonight. He has been sitting out back-to-backs but the Spurs have a rest day before and after the contest against the Sixers. Wembanyama will be in the starting lineup alongside Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie and Jeremy Sochan.

Sochan is beginning to thrive as the team’s starting power forward. In his last ten games, he’s averaging 13.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while hitting 45.9% of his field goals, 38.2% of his three-pointers and 87.0% of his free throws.

Betting Guide: Spurs at Sixers

The Sixers are favored by 14 points and the over/under is 237 points. The smart money is on Philadelphia. The Spurs have been playing better recently but it’s asking quite a lot for this young team to compete against a contender on the road. This is also the last game of a five-game road trip that was played over the course of only a week, so San Antonio will also be battling fatigue in addition to the talented Sixers squad.