Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Praise for Joel Embiid, Doc Rivers

The Oklahoma City Thunder paid a visit to South Philly to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. Despite being favored, the Sixers had a hard time overcoming Oklahoma City and the offensive attack that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brought to the table.

In 35 minutes of action, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points while coming down with eight rebounds and racking up six assists. His contributions were key to a Thunder upset in South Philly.

Following the game, Oklahoma City’s star player had nothing but praise for Philadelphia’s star Joel Embiid and the head coach, Doc Rivers.

SGA on Embiid

“Obviously, he’s one of the best players in the game,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said regarding Joel Embiid. “Super talented and a freak of nature. When you play guys like that and teams that are so highly talented, it’s easy to get up for, and it really challenges you, and you get to see where you’re at against the best players and the best teams in the world. That’s just my mindset going into the game. I know who I am going against, and I try to see where I stand.”

Embiid and Gilgeous-Alexander traded shots on Thursday night. The Sixers’ big man scored 30 points in 28 minutes. Had it not been for running into foul trouble in the first half, Embiid probably would’ve put up a better fight in the scoring department. Unfortunately, he played seven fewer minutes than his average on Thursday, clocking in for just 26 seconds in the second quarter.

Compliments for Doc

Doc Rivers coached Gilgeous-Alexander for one season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Before Rivers took on his final year as the Clippers' head coach, Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to the Thunder in the blockbuster deal that landed Los Angeles Paul George.

Before the game, Rivers had nothing but praise for his former player. After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander sent compliments back to the head coach.

“I love Doc,” he said. “It’s my first NBA coach, obviously a legend. He’s been around the game for so long and has seen so many levels of basketball. He really kind of kickstarted my career. He was hard on me, held me accountable, and I kind of just took those things with me. Me and him are really close, and he was a big part of my development for sure.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.