Not their first rodeo: Spurs end long road trip with big win

The rodeo evicted the San Antonio Spurs from their home arena for three weeks. On Tuesday, they ended their 8-1 "rodeo trip" with a blowout 131-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

One game after the New York Knicks ended the Spurs' 11-game win streak, San Antonio never trailed as it galloped to a 49-point third-quarter lead and dealt the 76ers their second-worst home loss of the year.

Spurs' annual trip is a big test

The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo displaces the Spurs from the AT&T Center every year for three weeks. While their home arena is full of prize steers and bucking broncos, the basketball team hits the road — though the Spurs did play two pseudo-home games in Austin during this stretch.

Not only were the Spurs away from home, but seven of the nine teams they played on the rodeo trip had winning records. They defeated three of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference and the sixth through eighth-place teams in the West during this stretch, losing only to the 40-22 Knicks.

Still, the Spurs outscored their opponents by an average of 14.4 points per game. They shot 49.9 percent from the floor, and Victor Wembanyama averaged 3.9 blocks and 1.3 steals, swatting six shots and grabbing three steals against the Sixers in only 24 minutes.