Michael Carter-Williams led the Sixers with 16 points.
By Harry Allison
This is what it has come to for the still-winless 2014-15 Sixers.
It was one thing to have been beaten by established NBA stars like Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Dirk Nowitzki.
But last night in San Antonio they had the dubious distinction of being beaten by a 34-year-old scrub.
San Antonio forward Matt Bonner had 18 points and San Antonio never trailed, handing Philly a 100-75 loss – their 10th straight loss to open the season.
Duncan had 16 points and nine rebounds and Kawhi Leonard had five points and 11 rebounds in limited action. Cory Joseph added 14 points for San Antonio (6-4), which never trailed.
It was the first time Bonner has led the Spurs in scoring since Jan. 5, 2012, when he had 17 in a 22-point victory over Utah.
Bonner, who was averaging 4.7 points per game, was 7 for 10 from the field.
“It takes a couple of open shots to see the ball go in a little bit,” Duncan said. “Hopefully that can kind of catapult him into a little bit of confidence; a little bit of feel of the ball to see that confidence continue.”
Even when Bonner went against Popovich’s advice and passed up an open shot, things went right. He gave up a 3-pointer to drive to the basket and toss in a floating jumper that even astounded him.
It was that kind of an evening for the Spurs, which seemed to get everything it wanted against the 76ers.
Duncan played 16 minutes and Tony Parker 18, as both sat out the entire fourth quarter after playing just five minutes in the third.
San Antonio won its 10th straight at home over Philadelphia and seventh overall against the hapless Philly.
Michael Carter-Williams had a team-high 16 points and four assists. Last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year was playing in just his third game after missing the entire preseason and the first seven games of the season with a right shoulder injury.
Carter-Williams’ return did little to right Philly, which is losing by an average of 15.5 points this season.
With Duncan, Parker and Ginobili and Leonard resting comfortably on the bench, Philadelphia pulled within 74-64 on Luc Mbah a Moute’s 3-pointer with 10 minutes remaining.
The 76ers followed it with three missed shots and a turnover, enabling the Spurs to rebuild their lead to 83-65 with 5:33 remaining.
“I don’t think that the losses are getting to us,” Philly guard Tony Wroten said. “We’ve played well in a few games. A few turnovers here, a few bad decisions there; we’re not far away from where we want to be. Even having 10 losses, I think we’ve shown we can compete, and we’ve just got to keep pushing it.”
