LAS VEGAS — The summer version of the Philadelphia 76ers took their game to Las Vegas on Thursday night to take on the San Antonio Spurs. After three games in Salt Lake City, the Sixers were looking to keep growing.
They suffered a long night as the Spurs jumped on them early and they couldn’t recover in a 111-70 loss. In a game that was initially expected to feature No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe vs. No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, the contest could not live up to much after both players were ruled out.
Recent two-way signing Dominick Barlow made his debut with the team and had eight points and five rebounds while Mark Armstrong had 10 points. Judah Mintz had nine points, Keve Aluma had 12, Justin Edwards had six, and Adem Bona had six and five rebounds. Johni Broome had eight and five rebounds.
Here are the player grades following the loss:
Adem Bona: C-plus
Bona deserves credit for playing his behind off despite the lopsided score. He was barking out orders on the defensive end, demanding more from his teammates, and making sure the Sixers at least gave an effort on that end. He had a few good moments himself on the glass and in the paint on the offensive end.
Johni Broome: C
Coming off the bench, Broome didn’t have a great night. He was a step slow on the defensive end and wasn’t able to get much going on offense. He does get credit for continuing to shoot the ball well from 3, but he wasn’t able to have a hugely positive impact in this one. He continued to fight and play hard in the second half, but the game was out of reach by then.
Dominick Barlow: C
Making his summer debut after joining the Sixers on a two-way, Barlow looked a bit out of sorts, but he did some good things on the glass and being a presence in the paint on the defensive end. He had a couple of nice defensive plays to deter the Spurs a bit. It was a tough night for everybody overall, but Barlow had some good moments.
Justin Edwards: D-plus
One has to wonder if a lack of a true ball-handler is affecting Edwards in this summer league. He had another tough outing in this one as he was unable to find much of a rhythm. He had to take on some ball-handling duties at times and it seemed to takeaway from his scoring ability.
Judah Mintz: C-minus
Once again, the Sixers needed somebody to attack the paint and make things happen on the offensive end. Mintz stepped into that role for Philadelphia and was able to at least get the scoreboard moving for a struggling Sixers team. However, he struggled with his free-throw shooting in the second half and seemed to get frustrated with himself. Perimeter defense was also an issue.
Jalen Hood-Schifino: D
Tough night for Hood-Schifino in this one. He struggled against San Antonio’s ball pressure and had a tough time on the defensive end as the Spurs were able to create a lot of looks at the basket. The Sixers were unable to find much offensive rhythm as it was a tough night.
Mark Armstrong
One of the few Sixers who was able to find some type of rhythm, Armstrong had a handful of good moments in this one. He was able to get to his spots on the floor and convert on some of the looks he was able to generate.