Thunder 129, 76ers 104: The Day After Report
Nuggets & Notes
- Coming into this game, the Oklahoma City Thunder was dealing with its longest losing streak of the season (2). It was an opportunity to wash away the feeling of losing two straight, four of the last six, and three straight against the San Antonio Spurs. And for the first 2 1/2 quarters, the Thunder held the 76ers at bay but never really opened things up against the inferior opponent.
- At least until about midway through the third, when OKC put the pressure on, forced the 76ers into a flurry of turnovers, and the champs looked like the champs and took Philly to the woodshed. By the end of the third, OKC led 101-86 and never looked back.
- First half: OKC 64, PHI, 62. Second half: OKC 65, PHI 42.
- The Thunder absolutely owned the paint, scoring 72 points inside. OKC was in attack mode throughout, which translated to only very little reliance on the deep ball, which Oklahoma City has struggled with as of late.
- Speaking of owning the paint, this was a "Chet Holmgren is an All-Star" game. Chet scored 29 points, on 12-of-17 shooting, including 50% from three, while grabbing 9 boards (3 ORBs), and swatting 4 shots. The only blemish was 6 turnovers, but you can live with it when Chet is rolling like that.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was efficient. The 76ers had no answer for him, as the MVP went 10-of-13 from the field while scoring 27 points and registering a DNP-REST in the fourth quarter.
- Ajay Mitchell was back, and boy did I miss him. The supersub hit all the right notes off the bench, scoring 13 points, along with 3 assists and 2 steals. Ajay adds a layer to the bench minutes that steadies the offense.
- Speaking of bench minutes, Aaron Wiggins was excellent last night. Wiggins is a walking heater sometimes, and he almost casually dropped 15 points in just 23 minutes, on 6-of-8 shooting.
- With the Thunder's starting five looking healthier (well, maybe), Cason Wallace has been moved to the bench, but he's just as effective there. Wallace was a +18 and made life miserable for the Philly offense at times.
- Now this is the Thunder defense I like to see. OKC forced 23 turnovers, including 12 steals, which led to 31 Thunder points.
- Isaiah Hartenstein left late in the third quarter after rolling his ankle and didn’t return. Isaiah Joe also exited early with neck soreness and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
- Thunder legend Paul George had a quiet night for the opposition Sixers. He scored just 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting and was a -19 in plus/minus. But, bro is a lifetime LEGEND for the Thunder. In fact, even last night he continued to help the Thunder as OKC's chances for a lottery pick improved with OKC's win.
- I get a kick out of games where OKC improves its lottery chances with wins. So far, OKC is 3-0 against the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers, which, you know, helps the position of the first-round picks those teams owe the Thunder.
One Key Takeaway
Okay, let's be real, the vibes were not good after Christmas. The Spurs edged the Thunder in the NBA Cup quarterfinals and whipped the Thunder in San Antonio, and everyone (myself included) expected Oklahoma City to reassert dominance on Christmas day with the lights shining bright on a marquee afternoon game. Yet again, the Spurs wiped out the NBA champs.
Vibes = very bad.
Is this team broken? Is the championship hangover here? How can this team possibly repeat when the Spurs stand in the way.
Calm down, people. Yeah, it sure doesn't feel great losing to the Spurs three times in a row, but this team is still very good and we're not even halfway through the season. The team is assimilating Jalen Williams (who is still getting into game shape both physically and mentally from being out for so long with his wrist injury/surgery), has moved players in and out of the lineup due to injuries, and has the weight of the championship on its shoulders.
And last night, especially in that third quarter, OKC looked like OKC again. The team is still just as good as we thought, and a few losses to the Spurs doesn't change anything.
