OKC Thunder Pull Off Upset Victory vs. 76ers in South Philly
For the second time this season, the Philadelphia 76ers battled it out with the Oklahoma City Thunder. This time around, the Thunder paid a visit to the Sixers in South Philly.
In their first meeting, the Sixers went into Oklahoma City without three starters on the court as James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and PJ Tucker got the night off due to injury recovery management.
Despite being shorthanded, the Sixers managed to take care of business and put the Thunder away with a 115-96 victory.
Since then, the Sixers have gone on a 4-1 run. Before the 76ers embark on a tough West Coast trip with matchups against the Jazz, Lakers, Clippers, Blazers, and Kings, they went toe-to-toe with the Thunder for the second and final time this year.
Quarter Breakdown
1st Quarter
For the second-straight game, the Sixers managed to trot out their starting lineup of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, PJ Tucker, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey. After getting an early night on Tuesday, going to the bench for good as early as the third quarter, the Sixers’ starting five looked a bit relaxed but rusty.
As a result, the Thunder took advantage. Within the first few minutes of action, the Thunder got off to an 11-5 run. With eight minutes left in the first quarter, the Thunder went up 16-7, sending the Sixers into a timeout. The first quarter was filled with shooting struggles for the Sixers at first. Through the first four minutes, Philadelphia knocked down just 25 percent of their shots. At the same time, the Thunder nailed four of their first five threes.
Philadelphia’s shooting struggles weren’t a consistent trend. Once the Sixers settled in and established a groove, they knocked down over 50 percent of their shots. After trailing for the entire first quarter, the Sixers finally tied it up at 28. For the final minute, the Sixers and the Thunder traded baskets before knotting the score at 35 at the end of one quarter.
2nd Quarter
Looking to ride the momentum of their last first-quarter performance, the Sixers dealt with a setback initially. As the veteran forward Tobias Harris attempted a layup, he ended up injuring his knee, which sent him to the floor for a bit.
Harris was able to get up with some assistance and gingerly walked off the court and into the locker room. It wouldn’t be long before the veteran sharpshooter made his way back out onto the floor. Harris finished the second quarter with two points after taking four shots.
Meanwhile, the Thunder’s offensive attack proved to be a problem for the Sixers. Halfway through the quarter, Oklahoma City was hitting on nearly 70 percent of their shots from all over the floor. Philly, on the other hand, had just two makes on nine attempts halfway through the quarter. The Thunder ended up rallying off 32 points while holding the Sixers to 22. With that, OKC entered halftime with a ten-point lead.
3rd Quarter
Following a rather disappointing second quarter for the home team, the Sixers took advantage of their clean slate in the second half and came out onto the floor with their foot on the gas. Forcing three turnovers and several early misses from the field, the Sixers’ defense created a momentum shift.
Suddenly, Philadelphia went on a 13-0 run. Within minutes, the Sixers went from trailing double-digits to getting out in front of the Thunder. Philadelphia’s early lead was short-lived, however. Not long after losing the lead, the Thunder tightened up their game and followed the lead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
As Alexander drained three of his five shots and all four free throws, he scored ten of the Thunder’s 34 third-quarter points. Meanwhile, the Sixers were held to 28 points. Going into the fourth quarter, the Sixers trailed Oklahoma City 101-85.
4th Quarter
The Sixers looked like they were beginning to lose control of the game at the end of the third quarter. As the team struggled to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander, they entered the final quarter of the outing trailing by double-digits. As we’ve learned many times this season, though, the Sixers shouldn’t be counted out after three quarters, as they’ve conducted their fair share of comebacks in the past.
Sixers reserve Georges Niang is typically one to help spark those late-game runs with his energy and efficient shooting. That was almost the story once again on Thursday night. It started with a reverse layup two minutes into the quarter. Then Niang hit a three-pointer one minute later to get the game within 11 points.
Unfortunately, a couple of fouls from Niang got him taken out of the game. At that point, the Sixers needed somebody else to bring the offensive energy to help form a comeback. Joel Embiid looked to step up and play the role, but he did it with frequent visits to the free throw line.
Meanwhile, the Thunder wouldn’t slow down offensively. Out in front with a double-digit lead, the Thunder constantly had an answer for the Sixers. Eventually, the young squad became too much for the Sixers to deal with on Thursday.
Oklahoma City pulled off the upset with a 133-114 victory in South Philly.
