The defending champion Spurs were taking on the lowly 76ers last night, but they were missing Tony Parker (ribs) and Tim Duncan (old). It didn’t really matter, though, as Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 26 points and snatched 11 rebounds in the 109-103 win.
Though it might not feel like it, the Sixers are a real team. It didn’t matter that Leonard is still experiencing cloudy vision and some his shooting numbers have dipped through the season’s first month. The 2014 NBA Finals MVP was 9-of-15 from the field, 2-for-6 from deep and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe on his way to 26 points.
He’s developed a tight turnaround, and can still get out and jam it down on the break with those giant paws, too.
Michael Carter-Williams had 24 for the Sixers, who kept it a lot closer than many thought possible, even against this short-handed Spurs club.
But it was Kawhi in the end who led the Spurs to the win and Philadelphia’s 17th consecutive loss. One more for Philly and they tie the NBA record 18 consecutive losses the 2009-10 Nets started the season with.
Is Kawhi already the future star everyone predicts he’ll become?
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