A key block on Ben Simmons proved vital late, as the Spurs would finish things out at the free throw line. Patty Mills was remarkably cerebral in getting off his 3PT shots, striking hot when it mattered the most, including a dagger at the buzzer as Philly was still looking to intentionally foul.
Once again, Kawhi Leonard had 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Pau Gasol had 19 points with 8 rebunds. Patty Mills finished with 14 points and 6 assists, with four 3PTers. Bismack Biyombo gave some more scoring than usual with 12 points, with Rudy Gay netting eleven. Iman Shumpert chipped in 10 points, his defensive effort helping the Spurs make this a battle late. Off the bench, Mario Hezonja & Davis Bertans combined for 4 shots from deep.
The defensive strategy by San Antonio was to double-team Joel Embiid and stay home on shooters, not allowing playmaker Ben Simmons (21 points, just 2 assists) much to work with. Meanwhile, Embiid still showed his talent with 20 points and 15 rebounds, including a strong block on Kawhi. Dario Saric had 12 points, but Markelle Fultz relieved Simmons' struggle with 15 points and 8 assists. Robert Covington made things hard on Kawhi Leonard and others with his defense, scoring 14 points as well. This wasn't an easy comeback, due to the 76ers' defensive strength as a unit, but the Spurs came ready to bang, winning all three quarters except the first (and that was by a single point), dominating the Sixers.