Aleksej Pokusevski Led the Way in OKC's Loss to Philadelphia

The Thunder dropped its first game of the summer Thursday night, losing a back-and-forth battle against the 76ers.

Oklahoma City seemed to be in control at multiple points in the second half, but a late three from Isaiah Joe sealed the Thunder’s fate.

It was a fun game for the Thunder, though, as all five starters scored in double-figures. It seemed like the game might be headed the other direction when OKC announced No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren was taking a day off for rest, but the rest of the young core really stepped up.

Here’s who led the Thunder in the team’s final tune-up before Las Vegas:

Josh Giddey

The Australian didn’t shoot efficiently from the floor but dominated the game elsewhere.

Giddey finished the night with 10 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. Two of his three buckets were highlight plays, including a shocking poster dunk out of nowhere.

JOSH GIDDEY 😳

He received a technical foul for the staredown after this dunk. pic.twitter.com/nwFUlYgIL5
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 7, 2022

It was reported that the Thunder star won’t play in Las Vegas, so Giddey’s summer is likely over. There was improvement on display with a step-back 3-pointer last night, but he needs to become more consistent before the season starts.

Aleksej Pokusevski

Pokusevski easily had his best game of the summer Thursday afternoon. He scored a team-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists.

Consistency was the key for Poku, as he shot 55.6% from the floor and 66.7% from 3-point range. He was a steady force on the floor for a short-handed Thunder team.

While Pokusevski didn’t have an incredible three-game stretch in Utah, his last outing is encouraging. From what we’ve seen over the course of his NBA career, he needs some time before it starts to click every year.

Tre Mann

Mann’s first game of the summer was a success, even though he missed the potential game-winning bucket at the buzzer.

The second-year guard added 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. While he struggled in the final minutes of the game, it was encouraging to see Mann take control down the stretch.

His smooth step-back didn’t look too rusty, as he got to his spots and fired away like usual. Mann’s play off the bench this season will likely be a huge determining factor in how good the Thunder could be this season.

Oklahoma City will travel to Las Vegas to take on the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

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