Murray shines in win over Kings, 99-113.

As mixed opinion festers and trade rumors whirl regarding the Alamo City prospect at the midway point of the NBA season, Dejounte Murray blocked out the noise and had himself a game: 25 points, 5 steals with 5 assists.

The Kings gave a competitive road effort, but were overrun as San Antonio closed the contest with an 11-0 scoring flurry. Patty Mills was sharp from long range, scoring a quartet of bombs with 23 points, hitting Sacramento in the gut in the final period. Rudy Gay was the third strongest contributor with 17 points and 3 steals, showing confidence and reminding the crowd of his bonafide scorer's mentality. Pau Gasol's 14-point, 13-rebound double-double cemented this victory for the Spurs.

In the defeat, the Kings did manage to cut the lead to five after it had grown to double-digits by halftime, despite an early burst by the youthful unit that wasn't helped by Kawhi Leonard's misfires. Leonard would sit out the next three quarters after struggling to find a rhythm, finally making a 3PTer before bowing out.

San Antonio's defense was the key factor in this game, as Rudy Gay broke up passing lanes, as did Patty Mills, and Murray's five swipes aided the effort with Bismack Biyombo swatting some of De'Aaron Fox's layup attempts. Fox had 15 points, next to Vince Carter's turn-back-the-clock 23 points, a bright spot as Fox shot 5/17.

Spurs top 76ers, 109-115.

Mills made six 3PTers, leading the Spurs to a 15th straight victory.

Another fierce fight ensued as the young 76ers touched down in The Alamo City, taking the Spurs and nearly taking them down.

The contributions of Patty Mills, Kawhi Leonard and Iman Shumpert were enough to weather the storm and achieve a strong win, raising San Antonio's win streak to 15, towering above the other 29 teams at this point.

An unforgettable, highlight-worthy moment came as Kawhi Leonard attempted to extend a lead in the fourth quarter, driving hard to the rim for a dunk, only to be swatted to the floor by Joel Embiid. Philly's cornerstone big man had 23 points and 16 rebounds, finishing with 4 blocks. The firepower from long range did in the Sixers, though, notably from Iman Shumpert. He was on fire, making four 3PTers for 19 points, shooting 70% overall. Patty Mills led the Spurs to this victory, crafting 10 assists and splashing home six 3PTers of his own, finishing with a game-high 28 points with 2 steals.

Despite being hammered by Embiid, Kawhi Leonard (23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals) resiliently crashed in some other dunks on the fast break, using his defense to get open coast to coast. Outside of the trio, the Spurs got 9 points and 8 rebounds with 1 block and 1 steal from Rudy Gay. Jeremy Lamb had 8 points, dunking the ball through the net in the contentious first half. Bismack Biyombo had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Pau Gasol had just six points and Mario Hezonja hit home a 3PTer for the team.

Overall, these teams were only separated by a total of 10 points for all four quarters, splitting halves. The Spurs won rebounding 42-39, especially with 16 offensive rebounds, but Philly had more assists (26/20). Unfortunately, the 76ers had 16 turnovers and missed 8 free throws, losing only by 6 points. The Spurs conversely went perfect from the charity stripe and made more 3PTers, despite Philly shooting 57% from the field. Quantity won out in his game, as San Antonio shot seventeen more times.

For Philadelphia, Robert Covington had 19 points with 1 block on 75% shooting. Markelle Fultz was the spark for the Sixers, posting 19 points with 8 assists. Fultz only shot 8/20, though. JJ Redick was hot early for 14 points, making four 3PTers. Dario Saric had 13 points and 9 rebounds, but Ben Simmons only had 10 points and 4 assists, as the Spurs once again isolated him and clogged passing lane opportunities. Both teams had strong defense with blocks all over the place, but the Spurs were more crafty with 12 steals as a unit.