The Philadelphia 76ers are in Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder in a matchup of two different processes. The Sixers have seen everything that could go wrong with the team, go wrong this year, while the Thunder are tied with the Cavaliers for the best record in the league.
Armed with draft picks and young talent, the Thunder represent everything that the Sixers were supposed to be and this game could have major implications on the Thunder being able to take the Sixers first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
Sixers vs Thunder game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (23-45) at Oklahoma City Thunder (56-12)
When: 8:00 pm EST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City OK
How to watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are coming off an overtime loss to the Rockets on Monday where, for a large part of the game, it looked like they were going to steal a win. In the end, the Rockets outscored them 13-6 in the overtime period to secure victory, but it was a positive game for the Sixers depleted squad. As has been the case of late, Quentin Grimes just couldn’t be stopped and the other young players all were chipping in throughout the night.
Grimes has played himself into a very strong spot in terms of his future contract. Over his last ten games, Grimes is averaging 28.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists to go along with 2.1 steals per game, all while shooting 53.7% from the floor and 41.3% on his three-point attempts. What he’s shown is that he can be a huge piece to a team that would use him properly. Sadly, for the Sixers, with Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey on the roster, Grimes wouldn’t get the freedom nor the shots that he’s getting now yet he could still be a huge part of the puzzle moving forward.
Everyone who played on Monday night contributed with Jared Butler getting 21 points, Justin Edwards having 18, Jalen Hood-Schifino having 12 and even Oshae Brissett having 11 points and five rebounds. A big issue is that Brissett, standing at 6’7″, was the center for the team and the Sixers were outrebounded 58-35 with their offensive rebounding just miserable. With Drummond, Yabusele and Embiid all out against the Thunder it may be more of the same.
Latest on the Thunder
Coming into their contest against the Sixers, the Thunder are tied with the Cavaliers for the best record in the league, and with games against the Hornets, Kings and Clippers on the horizon, they should be at 60 wins for the season by the middle of next week. The team is everything that the Sixers had once aspired to be as they have a bunch of young talented players, a good amount of cap space and still hold quite a few draft picks.
The Thunder will be missing MVP candidate and leading scorer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he’s “resting” for tonight’s game. Along with SGA, the team will be missing their second-leading scorer, Jalen Williams who’s listed as “out” with a hip injury. SGA and Williams combine for 54.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 11.5 assists to go along with 3.5 steals per game, so the team will have some issues against a Sixers team that looks to be coming together despite their injuries.
The Thunder do have Chet Holmgren available, who’s averaging 15.0 points and 8,3 rebounds to go along with 1.7 blocks per game in just over 28 minutes per game. Holmgren, with the Sixers featuring the smallest of lineups, could have himself a 40-point game and not break a sweat tonight. Despite the number of people missing for the Thunder tonight, they’ll also have Aaron Wiggins, old friend Isaiah Joe and Alex Caruso on the floor and that should be enough to get a win while resting some of their big names.
What to watch for tonight
With the this version of the Sixers, anyones guess is as good as mine. You can expect another huge game from Quentin Grimes, who will not stop competing and trying to get some wins. The youngsters, again, like Edwards, Ricky Council IV, Jared Butler, Brissett and Hood-Schifino will all look to build on their recent successes, but the Thunder are a very different beast.
With one of the top offenses in the league and the best defense, the 76ers will have a huge mountain to overcome if they want to get a win. Even without SGA and Williams, the Thunder can put up points and prevent most teams from getting theirs. Despite the congestion in the Western Conference and the Sixers’ performance against the Rockets, there are quite a few reasons why the Thunder are 12.5 games up on the second-closest team in the West, they’re just that good.
For the fans hoping that the Sixers can move up in their quest for the fifth-worst record in the league and increased chances of keeping the Thunder from taking their first-round pick, they may have a tough time watching Grimes go to work without restrictions. He’s been on fire of late and doesn’t seem to be cooling off any time soon. If Grimes gets hot and can stay that way throughout the game and the Sixers can shoot like they did against the Rockets, the team could upset the Thunder but it’s not that likely.
Prediction
Sixers 109 – Thunder 117
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
