Category: Sports News

Observations after Sixers lose key game to Spurs despite Embiid's 34 points  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

 The Sixers’ odds of needing to go through the NBA’s play-in tournament increased Monday night.

With a 115-102 road loss to the Spurs, the Sixers dipped to 43-36. The defeat again meant that the Sixers fell from sixth to seventh in the ever-changing Eastern Conference standings. The Raptors hold a half-game lead over the Sixers for the final spot above the play-in. Toronto will host the 10th-seeded Heat on Tuesday and Thursday nights. 

Both the Hornets and Magic now also sit at 43-36. The Sixers hold tiebreakers over each team.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with a 34-point, 12-rebound performance.

Paul George scored 16 points. Tyrese Maxey tallied 15 points and VJ Edgecombe added 14. 

Stephon Castle posted a triple-double for San Antonio with 19 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. 

The Sixers were down Cameron Payne (right hamstring strain) and Johni Broome (right knee surgery recovery). 

The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama was ruled out at halftime with a left rib contusion. He had 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, five rebounds and three blocks in the first half. 

The Sixers’ next stop in Texas will be Houston, where they’ll play the Rockets on Thursday night. Here are observations on their loss in San Antonio: 

Injuries a central story 

Kelly Oubre Jr. started instead of Dominick Barlow. It’s the first time that’s been the case since Oubre returned from his left elbow sprain in late March and that Sixers had all their rotation pieces available. 

George drained three three-pointers in under six minutes. He had another excellent first quarter, posting 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting. George also picked up an early steal when he poked that ball away from De’Aaron Fox on the perimeter. That started a fast break which Oubre finished off with a put-back layup. 

Uncertainty about Embiid’s status was the largest story of the first quarter.

The Sixers’ star big man landed awkwardly after blocking Wembanyama in the first minute of the game. Embiid sat on the scorer’s table with 7:42 left in the first quarter and the Sixers called timeout. Andre Drummond entered. It wasn’t clear exactly what was bothering Embiid, though he appeared to be flexing his left foot or ankle at one point. 

Whatever the issue, Embiid subbed back in with 3:33 to go in the first. He swished a jumper from the right elbow 23 seconds later, although Embiid continued to move gingerly late in the first quarter. Eventually, he looked more steady and forceful. 

For the Spurs, Castle and Wembanyama also had apparent injuries pop up in the first half. 

Castle was cleared to return and fine for the rest of the night, but Wembanyama kept dealing with discomfort that seemed to stem from a collision with George. Luke Kornet started the second half at center.

Nothing doing for Maxey in first half 

Maxey entered Monday averaging 28.6 points. He scored zero in the first half on 0-for-4 shooting. 

The Sixers’ All-Star guard dished out seven assists over the first two quarters and wasn’t blatantly gun-shy. He was certainly more deferential than usual, though. 

Embiid got into a good offensive rhythm in the second quarter. His highlights included a nimble step-back three over Wembanyama that cut the Sixers’ deficit to five points. The team trailed by seven at halftime.

The last time Embiid and Wembanyama matched up before Monday, Embiid scored 70. He was never anywhere near that pace Monday, but Embiid showed he’s still a serious challenge for any defender to face 1-on-1. 

While Embid served as the Sixers’ primary defender on Wembanyama, Barlow also got key minutes guarding the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 superstar in the first half. As usual, he was intelligent and high-effort in that task. 

Crucial Embiid-less stretch goes poorly

The teams exchanged runs early in the third quarter. The Sixers briefly went in front with an Embiid triple, but San Antonio replied with a 9-0 spurt.

The Spurs shifted to small ball after Kornet subbed out. Embiid’s physicality was a plus against whoever San Antonio had on the floor. The seven-time All-Star’s rebounding and free throw numbers were two reflections of his strong night in that department.

Embiid recorded five offensive boards and seven defensive boards. He set new season highs in free throws made (16) and free throws attempted (19).

Embiid played the whole third quarter. Andre Drummond opened the fourth on a night Adem Bona never left the bench.

The Sixers didn’t fare well during that important Embiid-less stretch. Drummond missed a corner three. Kornet then beat him down the floor and slammed in an alley-oop dunk. A Dylan Harper three put the Spurs up by 14 points.

Quentin Grimes’ subpar outing also did not help when the Sixers were were trying to tread water without Embiid. Grimes had five points on 2-for-7 shooting and two rebounds in 23 minutes as the Sixers’ sixth man. Oubre had an identical stat line of five points on 2-for-7 shooting and missed multiple late jumpers. Barlow subbed in for Oubre with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter.

The Sixers were left with almost no margin for error in the final minutes against an opponent that’s grown very accustomed to winning. The Spurs cemented their 60th victory.

The headline of today’s extremely good and compelling game preview by Brennan Sims was “The Pistons are not done.” The Detroit Pistons’ injury report might slightly disagree with that take. Detroit is down several players: Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Stewart, and Caris LeVert, notably among them.

Now, the Detroit Pistons have spent an entire season proving every doubter wrong, and that includes the team’s ability to win games no matter which players are suiting up. This is the same team that took the Oklahoma City Thunder to overtime shortly after losing Cunningham to a collapsed lung, after all. But the Orlando Magic, tonight’s opponent, is no Washington Wizards or Utah Jazz. They are a playoff team and currently sit above .500. You can’t sit that many core rotational pieces and expect to have an easy path to victory.

But I like Detroit’s odds. It feels like a special Ausar game to me. Maybe that’s just me being tricked by the pleasant spring weather I experienced today. But Ausar is often special in invisible ways, and I’m manifesting a very visible dominating performance that sends a handful of highlight plays ricocheting through social media. It could also be another good Daniss Jenkins night. The Magic are not shy about fouling players who force the action inside, and when Jenkins has everything working, he can put some sauce on his drives and create real contact.

Game Vitals

When: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -1

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (57-21)

Daniss Jenkins, Kevin Hueter, Ausar Thompson, Javonte Green, Jalen Duren

Orlando Magic (42-36)

Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

The New York Knicks (50*-28) face the Atlanta Hawks (44-33) tonight at State Farm Arena. This matchup is a potential playoff preview as the third-place Knicks attempt to hold off the surging fifth-place Hawks in the Eastern Conference standings. New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to return from an elbow injury, while Atlanta remains without backup center Jock Landale due to an ankle sprain.

Tip-off is 7:00 pm EST on MSG Network. This is your game thread. This is Peachtree Hoops. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Picture yourself as a well-mannered individual and proceed accordingly. And go Knicks!

* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup disappeared after a blind date with the Stanley Cup.

Let’s be honest, Cameron Boozer’s name was never in the conversation for #1, and he has slim chances at being #2. Even his projected #3 spot has been infiltrated by names such as Caleb Wilson or Darius Acuff.

Much like his father, who we should all be aware of by now if you dare call proclaim as a Jazz fan, Cameron is a highly polished 250-pounder juggernaut forward that’s a walking double-double machine. He’s strong, he’s steady, and he’s likely going to be the most reliable out of the three at the top of the draft.

Boozer was the longest-lasting competitor out of the top three, taking his first-seeded Blue Devils squad all the way to the Final Four of the March Madness Tournament — the story of Braylon Mullins’ walk-off fastbreak snipe shall be a story left until another day.

NBA Draft Profile: Cameron Boozer

Bio: 6 ft, 9 in | 250 lbs | 18 yrs old | Duke University

2025-26 regular season stats: 22.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.4 STL, 55.6% FG, 39.2% 3PT

Accolades: Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year, Karl Malone Award Winner, ACC Player of the Year, National Player of the Year

NBA Comparison: Anywhere between the Kevin Love-Al Horford-PJ Washington archetype, Jayson Tatum’s defensive and scoring versatility

Mastery

The hype around Cam is that he’s going to contribute to winning; that’s almost an undeniable fact. He’s a bulky 90s computer with a Windows 11 operating system. Throughout March Madness, we’ve seen more of him putting the ball on the floor and getting to his spots by using his strength.

I am here to proclaim that Cameron Boozer is not a one-on-one replica of his dad. Carlos, who is currently playing a scouting and front-office role on the Jazz (whatever that implies), didn’t have Cameron‘s shooting, high-IQ and certainly not his handles.

The Boozer disciple was, however, blessed with his father’s upper body and nimble feet. Their free throws are identical, even though the form is completely different. Ge sets hard screens and is a threat to pop and roll. His pick and pop action is a tough assignment for defenders — his screening action equals buckets nearly every time.

Cameron’s bread and butter has always been his post-game. In high school, he completely dominated his opponents with his size, strength and touch. He dunks, he’s got a sweet touch, and he’s flat-out relentless. Mid-range isn’t too far out of his artillery. He’s got the tools and size that’ll translate nicely in the NBA.

Most burly bigs with Cam’s size struggle to drive to the rim, but Booz makes it look easy. He‘s shown many flashes as a fownhill creator, who has a tight handle to put his shoulder down, shove his defenders and finish well through contact. It’s an area of his game that will be one of the most valuable when it comes to success at the NBA level. His speed is impressive, but can he get a step on his opponents rather than relying on brute strength?

As a handler, Cam handles the rock quite well. He’ll randomly pull out combos that you’ve never seen guys of his caliber even think of attempting. You’ll have your patient eyes on him as a defender and then—oh, he just went past me off a behind-the-back and just dunked all over the rim.

That’s not to say he’s reliant on the inside. Jumpers are a last resort when defenders give him space, but his high-release shot makes him deadly off the catch. Back in December 2025, he was already shooting 47.2% from the three-point line in about 3 attempts per game. That included a key three-pointer in a 29-point performance against Florida. The fact that he’s already a decently reliable shooter is a big plus in the eyes of NBA scouts.

Cam provides a similar level on the defensive end to top it all off. He can guard from 2 to 5, depending on the matchups, using his physicality and strength to bring his opponents into the post and force tough shots. Off the ball, he parks in front of opponent driving lanes and positions himself smartly to clean the glass and limit opponents to one possession. He’s a great pick-and-roll drop defender that makes opponent decision-making less successful.

Margin

Booz isn’t the type of player who’s going to routinely jump over defenders for highlight-reel posters. He plays a very grounded game, relying more on his massive frame and footwork rather than raw pogo-stick leaping ability. His lack of vertical pop makes it tricky for him to finish in traffic when matched against true 7-footers with long wingspans. I worry that he’ll struggle to create easy separation against the freakish Wembys of the NBA.

Even though he’s a physical force, Cameron doesn’t really project to be a primary shot-blocker at the next level. He won‘t have the ‘twitchy’ second jump that elite rim protectors use to erase mistakes at the hoop. Most scouts see him more as a versatile forward who needs a dedicated shot-blocker to play alongside. There’s a big question mark about whether he can actually anchor a defense as a small-ball center. If not, then that really limits how Cameron can be utilized on a winning roster.

He’s definitely a threat from deep, but his shooting process is a bit slow and set rather than fluid. He usually needs a clear window and a wind-up to get his shot off. Faster NBA close-outs will exploit that. He also hasn’t shown much of a midrange pull-up game, mostly sticking to either rim finishes or spot-up threes. If he can turn that set-shot into a flick-of-the-wrist-weapon, he’ll become a much more needed three-level threat

When he catches the ball in the post, he often follows a pre-written script that smart scouts have already memorized. He tends to always spin toward the baseline or use the same shoulder, depending on which side of the floor he’s on. He’ll need to add some more counters to his counters so that the opponent can’t counter that counter with a counter. Diversifying his post-game will ensure that he isn’t just a one-trick pony when the game slows down in the half-court.

At times, Boozer has been critized for parking the car on defense to preserve energy for his offensive workload. There have been stretches where he seems less interested in impacting the ball as a help-side defender or rotation player. This lack of a high-motor, combined with his tweener size in some cases, makes it difficult to project him as a truly elite two-way. The Will Hardy mentorship program would have its hands busy.

Mandate

The verdict on Cameron Boozer is that he’s the ultimate safe harbor pick — a player who immediately contributes Utah’s size and versatility while providing a high-IQ offensive hub. Even if he doesn’t possess the flashy star explosiveness of Dybantsa or Peterson, Booz will have a place in this league for years to come if he lives up to the hype. His 2025-26 freshman season at Duke is statistically one of the best ever seen. For a Jazz team looking to pivot into playoff contention, Boozer is the best plug-and-play starter to find in the draft.

I’ll be blunt: Cameron Boozer would not be at the top of the board if the Jazz land the #1 pick — that honor would go to Ryan Smith’s funded AJ Dybantsa project. But Cameron Boozer’s family roots in the Jazz organisation don’t leave him too far down the list. This isn’t nepotism, this is a safe bet.

A big test against a possible first-round playoff opponent as the Atlanta Hawks (45-33) welcome to town the New York Knicks (50-28).

Jock Landale (ankle sprain) has been ruled out.

Starting lineup:

• G CJ McCollum
• G Nickeil Alexander-Walker
• F Dyson Daniels
• F Jalen Johnson
• C Onyeka Okongwu

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 7:00 PM EDT

TV: NBA TV

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)

Streaming: Peacock, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)