The Finals: Spurs overcome Philly's storm to seize control of title path, 99-93. (3-0)

The 76ers returned home, anxious for a crucial win, and they nearly got it, but not quite as the Spurs touched down in city of brotherly love with as much fire to take control of the NBA Finals. The quarters went: 24-21, SA; 24-14, SA; 24-21, SA & 27-37, PA. Philly shot 3-19 from 3PT range, a lost perimeter cause, with 16 turnovers in another sloppy turnout.

In the heartbreaking loss, Shake Milton had 19 points, 6 rebounds & 6 assists. He still was chilly with 5-13 shooting. Joel Embiid came to life with 20 rebounds and 17 points. Ben Simmons had 16 points, 7 assists, almost making up for 5 turnovers. Clint Capela tried his best to get the win, notching 16 points off the bench. Tobias Harris had 13 points, with Al Horford contributing 6 points with 7 rebounds.

For the Spurs, Kent Bazemore led them to a commanding 3-0 advantage with 26 points. Brandon Ingram scored 24 points. Andre Drummond had 12 points, 13 rebounds & 2 blocks. Dejounte Murray dished 10 assists to go with his 11 points.

The Finals: Spurs beat 76ers again in Game 2, 102-115. (2-0)

The Spurs controlled the 76ers in Game 2, winning the 1st Quarter 13-27. Philly made an admirable effort to come back and make a game of it, but the Spurs won the fourth, 30-22, to seal the victory. Brandon Ingram shined with 28 points & 7 rebounds. Joe Harris got hot for 19 points. Fred VanVleet had 14 points, with Kent Bazemore & Dejounte Murray combining for 26 points, with Murray dishing a career-high 14 assists. P.J. Tucker was back to form for 11 points, hitting three from deep with 2 steals. Andre Drummond & Thomas Bryant combined for 15 rebounds & 15 points.

For the Sixers, Ben Simmons went 5-12 and had 8 gross turnovers, spoiling his 14 assists (13 points). Tobias Harris had 17 points. Shake Milton was cold again, going 3-9, for 12 points. Al Horford managed 12 points, with Clint Capela looking strong (fresh off winning Sixth Man of the Year) with 17 rebounds & 12 points, 2 blocks. Joel Embiid had 12 points, 18 rebounds. A.J. Lawson scored 11 points, getting NBA Finals experience in his rookie year.

The Spurs had 35 assists and only 3 turnovers, compared to 19 awful turnovers by Philadelphia.

The Finals: Spurs outlast 76ers in Game 1, 87-100. (1-0)

Both conference victors split the season series, but the Spurs would strike first in Game 1, fending off the fierce 76ers by thirteen points, pulling away in the 4th Quarter 31-24. Brandon Ingram had 20 points, 8 rebounds with 3 steals.

Dejounte Murray had 19 points, with Fred VanVleet scoring 18 points on four threes. Kent Bazemore had 11 points, as did Luka Samanic. Andre Drummond went 2-8, but saved 17 rebounds. P.J. Tucker returned to action, but scored just 2 points in 11 minutes.

In the narrow loss, Ben Simmons had 20 points & 11 assists with 8 rebounds. Tobias Harris also scored 20, with Al Horford securing a double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds. Shake Milton's shot was off tonight, going 4-11 and 0-3 from long range. Joel Embiid had 16 rebounds, but scored 9 points.

WCF: Spurs sweep scoreless Clippers, 103-88. (4-0)

The Spurs came out big in Game 4, winning the 1st Quarter, 25-16, along with the other three quarters. Kawhi Leonard was a far cry from his glory days in Texas with 16 points, 6 rebounds & 7 assists on a 7-23 shooting night. Paul George went 4-13, scoring 11 points. Off the bench, Reggie Jackson only hit on 2 of his 8 attempts. Lou Williams tried to save the Clippers' season, but shot 1-7 overall.

In the series-clinching win, Brandon Ingram had 24 points to lead the Spurs. Kent Bazemore had 17 points behind him, with Trey Lyles erupting for 16 points. Andre Drummond had 13 rebounds.

Facing the loss-less Spurs as the only remaining obstacle from the Larry O'Brien trophy is the NBA Finals returning Eastern Conference Champion, Philadelphia 76ers. They got one win last year against the Spurs, but clearly and by far this is a different caliber team meeting them for the greatest prize in the league. San Antonio held the Clippers under 100 points for 3 out of the 4 victories in this series.

WCF: Spurs down Clippers on the road in Game 3, 97-86. (3-0)

Kawhi Leonard scored better tonight with 21 points, taking 21 shots to get there, but Paul George struggled again with just 14 points on 6-16. Patrick Beverley did not help matters, coughing the ball up 5 times, despite scoring 13 points with 7 assists. Landry Shamet & Marcus Morris were the coldest shooters, combining to go 2-13. The scoring struggle came to a head in the 3rd Quarter, as the Spurs beat L.A. there 32-18.

In the significant series victory, Brandon Ingram led San Antone with 28 points & 10 rebounds. Andre Drummond had a good game with 19 points, 17 rebounds & 3 blocks. Dejounte Murray had 14 points & 6 assists, with 13 points coming from Fred VanVleet along with 7 assists. Kent Bazemore had 19 points.

Both teams shot under 50%, with the Spurs overcoming 40% on their end.

WCF: Spurs beat Clippers again, 98-111. (2-0)

The Spurs held the Clippers below 100 points in Game 2, a reward for winning the 1st Quarter, 32-17. Kawhi Leonard had another off shooting night, going 7-17, with Paul George faring even worse (6-18, 1-10 3PT, 13 points). Montrez Harrell had 17 points, 8 rebounds for L.A.; Landry Shamet scored 17 also. Patrick Beverley dished 13 assists to go with 11 points.

In the win, the Spurs were led again by Joe Harris who stayed hot after his career Game 1 performance, notching 19 points tonight and hitting on 5 threes. Brandon Ingram scored 15 points, 7 rebounds. Kent Bazemore chipped in 14 points, and Andre Drummond grabbed 16 rebounds with 12 points. Dejounte Murray didn't score much, but dished 8 assists. Johnathan Williams had 10 rebounds off the bench.

The Spurs have controlled the tempo  in this series, converting it into two victories so far.

WCF: Spurs defeat Clippers in Game 1, 102-111. (1-0)

Fresh off sweeping the Lakers and showing why they were the #2 Western Conference seed, the Clippers struggled to score against the Spurs tonight. To make matters worse, Joe Harris had one of those nights and surpassed a mark set by former Spurs marksmen, Ray Allen, and Patty Mills, along with Warriors premier sniper Klay Thompson, as the clutch shooter buried twelve 3PT shots to make a new record not just for the Spurs as a team but for the entire league. In a career-high effort, Harris finished with 38 points.

The Harris spectacle became the topic of the night and sealed the victory in a close game, after the Spurs won the first quarter 26-18. Fred VanVleet scored 16 points in an otherwise quiet night for San Antonio's star trio: Drummond, Ingram & Murray combined for only 28 points, despite Drummond grabbing 19 rebounds with 6 mighty blocks. Murray also dished 7 assists.

"He was incredible. People forget he won the 3PT Shootout a couple years back. Only takes one going in for his eyes to light up," Coach Popovich said on Harris' career night. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard had 29 points but shot 9-19 and 0-6 from 3PT range. Paul George had 17 points, 7 assists. JaMychal Green had 16 points, 12 rebounds & Montrez Harrell sealed 12 points with 9 rebounds.

WCSF: Spurs move on as Jazz sans Gobert bow out, 118-104. (4-0)

In Gobert's stead, Ed Davis played admirably for 24 points, 18 rebounds with 1 block, but it just wasn't enough, even with Donovan Mitchell finally looking on-point with 23 points, 7 assists (9-16 FG, 3-3 3PT). Mike Conley had 15 points, 9 rebounds, but without Gobert down low, the Spurs feasted on the Jazz.

San Antonio won the 1st Quarter big, again, this time 30-14, then won the next two quarters, 30-18 for the 3rd. Utah made a valiant comeback, 47-30, but still lost by sixteen points.

A reversal of fortune this season, no doubt, with the Jazz down one of their key players. Brandon Ingram had 23 points for the Spurs, with 4 steals. Andre Drummond terrorized the Jazz interior with 16 points & 25 monstrous rebounds. Kent Bazemore had 14 points, with Trey Lyles notching 12 of his own. Dejounte Murray had 10 points with Joe Harris & Luka Samanic combining for 17.

In other surprising news, the L.A. Clippers succeeded at a shocking sweep of the Lakers after beating them in two close games to face the Spurs next. A minor injury to P.J. Tucker's wrist will keep him out until then, but the Spurs didn't need him tonight as the story was all about Gobert's absence.

WCSF: Spurs fend off Jazz as Gobert suffers injury, 102-92. (3-0)

As the Western Conference Semi Finals shifted to Salt Lake City, the Jazz nearly made it a 2-1 affair were it not for Rudy Gobert suffering an ill-boding injury late in what was a close game. The Spurs won the 1st Quarter, 24-17, but the Jazz won the second 23-26, before losing Gobert's services and losing the second half, 55-49.

Brandon Ingram scored 20 points, with Murray scoring 18 behind him. Fred VanVleet got cooking for 17 points. Kent Bazemore hit hard for 16 points, and Drummond corralled 13 rebounds. Joe Harris & P.J. Tucker scored 16 between the two of them and four threes.

In narrow defeat, Mike Conley had 20 points & 10 assists, but eight bad turnovers. Rudy Gobert before going down had 18 points & 19 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell, however, was the missing link tonight, as he went cold on a 5-17 clip (14 points). Joe Ingles & Bojan Bogdanovic finally got going, too, scoring 25 points together. Notably, ex-Spur Michael Carter-Williams had 7 ugly turnovers to make matters worse.

Update: Rudy Gobert expected to miss Game 4 due to right knee sprain.