The Philadelphia 76ers are home on Tuesday night to take on the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in an important game for both teams. The Sixers, currently in the 8th seed and scheduled for the play-in tournament, need to try to close the two-and-a-half-game gap between them and the Indiana Pacers for the 6th seed.
Meanwhile, the Thunder are trying to hold on to first place in the West. They’re currently a half-game up on the Denver Nuggets, although by winning the season series 3-1, the Thunder currently hold the tiebreaker.
Sixers game information
Who: Oklahoma City Thunder (52-22) at Philadelphia 76ers (40-35)
When: 7:30 pm EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: TNT
Sixers vs. Thunder betting info
Spread: Philadelphia 76ers +2.5 | Oklahoma City Thunder -2.5
Moneyline: Philadelphia 76ers +114 | Oklahoma City Thunder -135
Total: Over/Under 221
Latest on the Sixers
For now, the big news must be the impending return of reigning MVP Joel Embiid. The Sixers won against the Raptors on Sunday without Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Still, all anyone could talk about was Embiid’s possible return, originally thought to be Tuesday night against the Thunder.
While he’s currently listed as OUT for the Thunder game, the growing sentiment is that he will be back in the Sixers lineup at some point during this week and could potentially be upgraded ahead of tonight’s game. Good news for the Sixers, bad news for anyone that has to face them, if Embiid returns completely recovered from his knee injury.
The Sixers are coming off the victory over the Raptors with Kelly Oubre Jr. having led the way with 32 points and Cap Payne finally getting some extended minutes and finishing with 24 points. It was a solid team effort against an injury-riddled and poor Raptors team, but the win gives the team confidence.
Buddy Hield continued his hot shooting and finished with 13 points, Kyle Lowry had 10 points and 11 assists, and Tobias Harris had 21 points and nine rebounds. With all of that happening in one game Nico Batum may have been overlooked with his 19 points and six rebounds, easily his best effort of the season.
Latest on the Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a game-winning shot to beat the Knicks on Sunday 113-112, in Madison Square Garden, which also put his team back into first place in the Western Conference as the playoffs are right around the corner.
SGA is third in the league in scoring and should be at the very top of the league MVP voting, as he’s brought the Thunder to the top of the conference this season. He’s averaging 30.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, which may not compare to Luka or Giannis overall, but he’s leading the best team in the West, which should speak for something.
In addition to SGA, the Thunder are getting quality minutes from Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, and Luguentz Dort, among others. Williams led the team against the Knicks with 33 points and 8 assists, and Giddy finished with a triple-double, tallying 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. The team features a deep rotation, quality starters, a few very young stars in the making, and one big star in SGA.
What to watch for tonight
SGA and Jalen Williams are both listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander has been battling a quadricep injury and missed the Thunder’s two previous games before returning against the Knicks. The Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey is also listed as questionable. So, both teams could realistically be without their two best players for the game. What does that leave us with?
The Thunder have quite a few players, and in Philadelphia, fans would love/hate to see Isaiah Joe get a bunch of minutes as he still holds a place in the fan’s hearts as a missed opportunity for the team that couldn’t find quality shooting. The Sixers saw, albeit against a woeful Raptors team, that they have plenty of talent on their side, even when missing their two biggest stars. The Thunder are a different opponent, though, and even if the Sixers have Maxey back for the game, it may not be enough.
Then, there is a remote chance of Joel Embiid returning. Embiid is on the end of the 6-8 week window for a return, has been practicing and ramping up his drills, and for the first time in a very long time, he could be fully healthy to start the playoffs. The Sixers have managed to hold on in his absence, and while they’re still the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. With a healthy Embiid, there aren’t going to be any teams excited to play them.
Prediction
Sixers 111 – Thunder 116
