Sixers' Kyle O'Quinn Isn't Sweating Missed Triple-Double Opportunity

Sixers veteran reserve Kyle O'Quinn had quite the game on Tuesday afternoon against the Phoenix Suns. Heading into the matchup, Philly had a long list of injuries, which was bound to get some guys who are typically out of the rotation some minutes.

O'Quinn, who usually spends his time being a vocal veteran presence on the bench, picked up the start on Tuesday against the Suns with Joel Embiid and Al Horford out. The veteran center spent 32 minutes on the court and nearly notched the first triple-double of his career.

Heading into Tuesday's matchup, nobody expected the shorthanded Sixers to defeat a red hot Phoenix Suns team. But an admirable effort by O'Quinn, Mike Scott, Alec Burks, and Raul Neto gave the 76ers a chance to remain within arms reach of a possible unlikely victory. Unfortunately, the Sixers fell short of the 'W,' and O'Quinn fell just short of securing the triple-double as well. 

Ten rebounds, eleven assists, and nine points ended up being O'Quinn's final stat line. All he needed was one point to reach his milestone, but O'Quinn didn't get the opportunity to put up some points in crunch time as Neto was taking over. While the triple-double would've been a glorious moment for the seasoned veteran, O'Quinn was more concerned with trying to win the game more than anything.

"I knew, but I didn't want to look like I was trying to get it," O'Quinn said after Tuesday's game. "I would much rather us play in the flow than force me the ball. I didn't find out until late when I was subbed out at the end. I knew I had it going a little bit with the assists, but if you start tracking rebounds and points, you'll never get it, so I just kept it going and flowing, and when I came to the bench, my teammates had told me how close I was and then it's like 'Dang,' but it is what it is. I can't celebrate going for a triple-double while down 13. That's the ultimate selfish look, and I'm not that guy."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_