Tuesday night the owners of the Sixers will be celebrating their smoke and mirrors trick on the city, somewhere in New York City while their struggling basketball team will be hosting the Western Conference leading Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder arrive having won nine of their last ten games while the Sixers are 5-5 over that same period, except they’re 1-3 over the last four games. It goes to show the fans what is versus what could have been.
Sixers game information
Who: Oklahoma City Thunder (32-6) at Philadelphia 76ers (15-22)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia PA
How To Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Kansas City / Midwest / Oklahoma
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers return to action after having lost to the Magic on Sunday, 104-99, in a game that was winnable until they let it fall apart. Paul George seemed to have found his shooting as he was 5-8 on three point attempts on his way to 25 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in the game, then he fouled out. The Sixers relying on Tyrese Maxey at the end of games has become tired to the team and Maxey who finished with 29 points but shot just 7-19 from the floor and 3-9 on his three-pointers. Maxey has just been shooting poorly all season but that’s the least of the Sixers problems.
Again, as has been the case throughout the season, the Sixers will be without Joel Embiid as he recovers from sprained foot but, after finishing the game he was hurt during and playing in a couple more, Embiid has now been missing for 10 days. While the Center had started to look more like himself in his recent games, it can’t be overlooked that he’s now missed 34 games and tonight will be the 35th. That is not ideal for any team, especially one that had lofty aspirations at the start of the season.
While his shooting has been up and down, Paul George has started to come around in the offense and on the defensive side of the ball for the team. What the team needs from PG is consistency and to take some of the pressure off Maxey. Maxey has been burdened with being the star this year and it’s weighed heavy on the young guard. The team needs the two of them to continue to grow their relationship more if they’re going to stand a chance of making the playoffs.
Latest on the Thunder
The Thunder are 17-3 since December 1st and prior to Wednesdays loss to the Cavaliers, the Thunder hadn’t lost since December 17th. They’ve been dominating throughout the first half of the season and don’t really show any signs of slowing down. The Western Conference is tough this season and currently features 11 teams over .500 in the standings.
The Thunder are six games ahead of the second place Rockets in the conference. Their loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday is the only game separating them from being the top team in the entire league and they’ll have a rematch on Thursday on their home court.
The Thunder will be without forward Chet Holmgren who’s been battling a hip injury and is working toward his return as he’s traveled with the team for this recent road trip. Losing a forward that averages 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game would be horrible for many teams, yet the Thunder keep rolling on.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is tied for the scoring lead in the league with 31.4 points per game and Isaiah Hartensteain has been giving the team 11.9 points and 12 rebounds per game and he may be the fourth best player on the squad. Guard Jalen Williams is averaging 20.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
That still leaves role players like Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell who’ve all played their roles quite well for the team. In the most recent destructions of the Washington Wizards, the Thunder had seven players score in double figures and going against a depleted Sixers squad as their lead up to the Cavs rematch is just the right game for them to have another big one.
What to watch for tonight
Watching a Sixers squad that will be missing Embiid, Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, the drastically improved KJ Martin and rookie star Jared McCain shouldn’t be ideal nor exciting and more than likely tonights game won’t be making any new fans for the Sixers. While Paul George, Maxey, Guerschon Yabusele, Kelly Oubre Jr. and even Justin Edwards, will give the team some flashes of good play, they just don’t have enough to compete against the Thunder.
What you should be enjoying is watching a team that’s done what the Sixers set out to do when they hired Sam Hinkie. The Thunder have developed and traded for players that have them as the top team in their conference and one of the best teams in the league. They’ve moved pieces and grown as a team, the way that the Sixers were supposed to do.
The problem is that the NBA frowned upon it when the Sixers did it and have turned their heads to embrace the Thunder way. The Thunder, on top of being one of the best and most exiting teams in the league, still have multiple first round picks for the next several years including what could be five in this years draft. They’ve done what the Sixers have failed to do.
The Thunder have made sound moves that have worked out. They’ve taken on contracts in order to stockpile picks and they have a head coach in Mark Daigneault that’s been with the organization since 2014. He’s coached their G-League affiliate and took over in late 2020 for the Thunder. He’s brought the team through their tough seasons and was the NBA Coach of the Year last season. This year, his team is even better and the continuity has helped make them one of the best teams in the league. If you want to sit back, watch a great basketball team and imagine what could have been in Philadelphia, then tonight would be the night to watch the Thunder.
Prediction
Thunder 127 – Sixers 104
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
