3 observations after Sixers beat Spurs, move to 3-1 in Vegas summer league

3 observations after Sixers beat Spurs, move to 3-1 in Vegas summer league originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers secured their first winning streak of the summer Friday night.

They earned a 96-80 victory over the Spurs, moving to 3-1 in the Las Vegas summer league.

The team’s next step in Vegas is still to be determined. To qualify for the semifinals, the Sixers would need multiple results to break their way. Regardless, they’ll play again Sunday, opponent and start time TBD.

The Sixers got double-digit scoring games from five players vs. the Spurs in Ricky Council IV (20 points), Jeff Dowtin Jr. (17), David Jones (15), Judah Mintz (14) and Keve Aluma (10).

Here are observations on their win over San Antonio:

McCain forcing the issue at times

Jared McCain’s first two shots of the night were encouraging.

The Duke product sunk a corner three-pointer, hit a floater, and helped the Sixers take a 7-0 edge.

He then missed his next eight field goals, including a few difficult, tightly contested tries. At times, the 20-year-old has appeared to be searching too hard for anything to fall. That’s obviously not conducive to efficient, rhythm-building basketball.

McCain was more passive after halftime and finished 3 for 13 from the field and 2 for 8 from three-point range. Across seven total summer league games, he’s made 26.9 percent of his field goals and 22.9 percent of his threes.

Stellar spurt from Mintz

Mintz was excellent late in the first quarter and posted 10 straight Sixers points.

Mintz’s personal scoring run ended when he drove into the paint, attracted the Spurs’ attention, and assisted a Max Fielder layup.

The undrafted rookie guard scored two and-one hoops and shot 6 for 6 at the foul line during his individual burst. He was also bothersome at the top of the Sixers’ zone without taking any serious gambles. Mintz doesn’t have great size — 6-foot-3 with a 6-3.5 wingspan — but he’s read plays well in summer league and had a decent number of pesky moments. The 21-year-old averaged 2.1 steals his sophomore year at Syracuse.

Offensively, Mintz has been comfortable and crafty inside the arc….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-observations-sixers-beat-spurs-031533102.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-07-20 03:15:33

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.