The Sixers aren’t good enough to deviate from their ball-movement script | Keith Pompey

CHICAGO — The 76ers have to do better.

Perhaps it was just a matter of trying to pad stats in an expected blowout victory over the San Antonio Spurs. But if we learned one thing, it’s that the Sixers definitely won’t beat an elite team playing isolation basketball.

Heck, they barely defeated the undermanned Spurs playing that way in San Antonio on Sunday night before boarding a plane and arriving here for Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

They escaped with a 113-111 overtime victory at the AT&T Center thanks to Ben Simmons tipping in Joel Embiid’s missed shot at the buzzer.

But the game should not have been that close.

The Sixers had a 17-point, first-quarter cushion against a Spurs team missing its three leading scorers in DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray (knee), and Derrick White, and five players total.

» READ MORE: Ben Simmons’ tip-in at the buzzer lifts the Sixers past the Spurs and into first place in the Eastern Conference

Sixers shooting guard Seth Curry scored 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first quarter, including making all three of his three-pointers. He and Embiid combined for 24 points as the Sixers led 37-27 after one quarter.

Curry, however, only attempted five shots, including three three-pointers, during the final three quarters. He did not attempt a shot in overtime. He has a knack for passing up shots. But this wasn’t one of those nights.

The Sixers stopped looking for Curry even though he had hottest hand. He finished the game with 22 points while making 8 of 10 shots, including making all six three-pointers.

There were times when he was literally wide-open, but the ball never found him.

“It felt like every time we got a big lead, the ball starts sticking,” coach Doc Rivers said. “And you know, he went a long stretch without getting the ball …

“But it’s always nice when he’s making shots. It stretches the defense. Our offense [plays] so well. It’s good for us.”

Danny Green (13), Tobias Harris (nine) and Furkan Korkmaz (six) had more shot attempts than Curry from the second quarter on despite having off shooting nights.

Green finished the game with 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting, including missing nine of 12 three-pointers. Harris had six points on 3-for-10 shooting, including missing all three of his three-pointers. Korkmaz had three points on 1-for-7 shooting while missing all three of his three-pointers.

Here’s another reason why the team should have kept moving the ball and finding Curry: Sixers players not named Embiid or Curry combined to shoot 21-for-61, 34.4% for the game.

Rivers was asked if the ball sticking contributed to the Spurs coming back and forcing overtime.

“Oh, God yeah,” he said. “The first unit started doing it at the end of their [first] rotation,” he said. “Then I thought the second just basically played iso ball. That’s not who we are.

“So it’s one of those games. Sometimes you think you are going to win by a lot. So guys play free ball. And what happened is the Spurs didn’t go away.”

» READ MORE: Doc Rivers focused on winning games, giving players proper rest down the stretch

As a result, the Sixers didn’t overly celebrate winning what turned out to a thrilling game. They know they put themselves in the predicament from which Simmons saved.

Rivers gave San Antonio credit. He noted that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had his team playing hard, moving the ball and attacking the basket.

“But our guys know that they didn’t play right and got away with one,” Rivers said. “I think it was more of relief [after the game] than a celebration.”