The Sixers secured their first winning streak of the summer Friday night.
They earned a 96-80 victory over the Spurs, moving to 3-1 in the Las Vegas summer league.
The final summer action for the Sixers will be a matchup Sunday against the Celtics at 5 p.m. ET.
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The Sixers got double-digit scoring games from five players vs. the Spurs in Ricky Council IV (20 points), Jeff Dowtin Jr. (17), David Jones (15), Judah Mintz (14) and Keve Aluma (10).
Here are observations on their win over San Antonio:
McCain forcing the issue at times
Jared McCain’s first two shots of the night were encouraging.
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The Duke product sunk a corner three-pointer, hit a floater, and helped the Sixers take a 7-0 edge.
He then missed his next eight field goals, including a few difficult, tightly contested tries. At times, the 20-year-old has appeared to be searching too hard for anything to fall. That's obviously not conducive to efficient, rhythm-building basketball.
McCain was more passive after halftime and finished 3 for 13 from the field and 2 for 8 from three-point range. Across seven total summer league games, he's made 26.9 percent of his field goals and 22.9 percent of his threes.
Stellar spurt from Mintz
Mintz was excellent late in the first quarter and posted 10 straight Sixers points.
Mintz’s personal scoring run ended when he drove into the paint, attracted the Spurs’ attention, and assisted a Max Fielder layup.
The undrafted rookie guard scored two and-one hoops and shot 6 for 6 at the foul line during his individual burst. He was also bothersome at the top of the Sixers’ zone without taking any serious gambles. Mintz doesn’t have great size — 6-foot-3 with a 6-3.5 wingspan — but he’s read plays well in summer league and had a decent number of pesky moments. The 21-year-old averaged 2.1 steals his sophomore year at Syracuse.
Offensively, Mintz has been comfortable and crafty inside the arc. Outside shooting improvement would certainly boost his career prospects; Mintz was a 29.1 percent three-point shooter over his two college seasons.
Sixers close it out emphatically
The Sixers' defensive effort was strong Friday night. Despite going 1 for 11 from three-point range in the first half, the team held a five-point lead.
The Sixers fared better shooting-wise in the third quarter, largely because Jones knocked down three long-range jumpers and tallied 13 points in the period.
The Spurs still grabbed their first lead with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. Jamaree Bouyea (15 points and six steals) led San Antonio's push for a 4-0 record.
After the Sixers managed to regain the advantage, Council and Dowtin decisively wiped out any chance of a Spurs comeback. Council has kept on slamming in massive dunks throughout summer league.
Dowtin saved his best basketball for the fourth quarter, confidently delivering isolation hoops and ensuring the Sixers won again in Vegas.