Philadelphia will face Houston on Thursday with the dubious distinction of being a loss shy of tying the NBA record for consecutive losses set by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010-11.
Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills scored 15 points each and Cory Joseph added 12 for San Antonio, which maintained the league's best record at 54-16. The Spurs did not play starters Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter and Danny Green, but did not need them against the lowly 76ers.
Thaddeus Young and Michael Carter-Williams each scored 19 points, Byron Mullens added 15 and Elliot Williams had 14 for Philadelphia (15-56).
The Sixers kept pace early against the Spurs, with Carter-Williams fearlessly driving into the paint for a series of short jumpers and Hollis Thompson hitting a pair of 3s.
Popovich called timeout with 3:44 left in the first half after Williams dunked over Duncan to tie it at 19.
Philadelphia's early success awoke the Spurs and brought out the best in the seldom-used Daye. His athleticism and energy were just what San Antonio needed after a listless start. Daye, who was averaging 2.3 minutes in four games since being acquired from Toronto on Feb. 20, finished 6-for-10 on 3-pointers.
San Antonio went on a 26-5 spurt bridging the first and second quarters, capped by a 19-0 run.
Mullens' 3-pointer snapped the drought, but the Spurs were up 45-27 with 6:35 left in the first half and would never lead by less than 10 points the rest of the way.
The Spurs started Ginobili to give the team another facilitator on the court with Parker out. Ginobili did that and more, scoring seven points and grabbing two rebounds in eight minutes. He drove to the basket for a series of reverse layups, but was blocked by the rim on a one-handed dunk attempt in starting 2 for 3 from the field.
NOTES: San Antonio's Big Three of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker have played for 39 seasons, which is seven years more experience than the entire Philadelphia roster combined. The 76ers have six rookies on this year's roster. . Philadelphia coach Brett Brown served as an assistant with the Spurs for seven seasons, including the 2007 championship. He received a hearty ovation from the fans in attendance during pregame introductions. Duncan pointed at Brown before tip-off, greeting his former coach with a huge smile. .. Former Spurs F Malik Rose, a Philadelphia native, now serves as an analyst for 76ers television. He filled in for the Spurs in the same capacity before joining Philadelphia's broadcast team.
