• Tweet

• Tweet

The Philadelphia 76ers played a competitive game Wednesday against the Orlando Magic, although it was a four-point loss. But to be fair, Dwight Howard played a large part in that win for Orlando.

Just when a loss would possibly be the opportunity to dust themselves off, the Sixers on Friday night had to face the best team in the NBA – the San Antoino Spurs.

And with these Spurs, you usually wind up on the short end of the stick more often than not.

And truth be told, neither team shot very well (the Sixers shot 35 percent while the Spurs did worse at 33 percent), yet Philadelphia did enough good things on the floor to outlast San Antonio 77-71 at the Wells Fargo Center.

The victory ensured that the 76ers remained in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

Neither team shot very well in the first half; the Sixers outscored the Spurs by five in the first quarter while San Antonio took the second by five, sending both teams back to their respective locker rooms, with the game tied at 46.

Fast-forwarding to the fourth quarter, Jrue Holiday drained a long 3-pointer to give Philadelphia a 71-67 lead with 4:43 left to go in the game. But Tim Duncan came back with a runner in the lane to close the deficit to 71-69.

After Duncan’s layup got San Antonio to within 73-71 with 2:06 remaining, neither squad was able to convert on its next possession; Holiday sealed the win for the Sixers with a pair of free throws with 19.9 seconds left on the game clock.

The 76ers were led by Holiday with a game-high 27 points (including three 3-pointers), along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals while Spencer Hawes added 13 with 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Elton Brand, despite scoring only eight points, grabbed 17 rebounds.

Duncan led the Spurs with 16 points, along with 13 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 blocks while Gary Neal and Antonio McDyess each added 11 – with Neal grabbing a rebound and dishing out an assist while McDyess grabbed 11 boards, dished out an assist, along with a steal. DeJuan Blair, despite scoring only eight points, grabbed 14 caroms.

Both teams return to action on Saturday night as Philadelphia (25-28) flies to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves while San Antonio (44-9) jets north to Washington, D.C. to face the Wizards.