Thunder Victorious in Philly

Box Score: OKC 133, PHI 114

By Nick Gallo and Paris Lawson | okcthunder.com

After a loss in Miami left a bad taste in their mouth, OKC took the opportunity to respond against Philadelphia, a team who just beat the Thunder at home on New Year’s Eve. The Thunder shot out of the gates strong offensively, posting 35 points in the first quarter before following it up with 32 in the second. Defensively, the effort was equally tenacious as the Thunder forced three turnovers and swatted away a block all within the first four minutes of action.

Even when Philly rallied back in the third quarter with a 13-0 run to take a three point lead, the Thunder remained poised and stuck to the habits that made them successful in the first half. Two more 30-plus point quarters for the Thunder gave the team a resounding 133-114 victory on the road against a 76ers team who had won five of their last six games heading into Thursday’s matchup. For OKC, this win was an example of week-to-week, game-to-game and in-game resilience. 

Paris: It was a collective team effort in containing the 7-footer Joel Embiid. When Embiid caught the ball under the rim, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander slid over into help and swatted the ball away from the big man. It was rookie Jaylin Williams who picked up the initial assignment on Embiid and during his time in the first quarter, Williams not only took a charge on the big man but stretched him out defensively and knocked down a trail 3-pointer on the other end. By the end of the first quarter, Embiid tallied eight points and Williams logged seven of his own.

Nick: Rookie Jaylin Williams made the most of his opportunity to start against an MVP candidate in Embiid, and used the experience he gained back on New Year’s Eve when he faced Philadelphia the first time to be effective. On one of the Thunder’s opening possessions of the game, he nailed a 3-pointer, a skill he’s been honing at the G-League level with the OKC Blue. A few minutes later, Williams scored on two possessions in quick succession in a similar way. The 6-foot-10 big man caught the ball in the right corner, pump faked then drove for a sensational reverse layup under the rim, then he blew by a hurried closeout by Embiid and scored on another scoop, this time right through the middle of the lane. Out of his 11 total points in the game, seven came in the first quarter. 

Paris: Lu Dort received a screen at the top of the key from Lindy Waters III. He attacked downhill and while he drew the attention of the 76ers defense, Jalen Williams cut across the baseline. Without hesitation, Dort dished the ball to J-Dub who elevated for a slam. It was an example of the Thunder’s high-level ball movement that allowed it to shoot above 50-percent from the field and put up 67 points in the first half. By intermission, the Thunder had 15 assists on 22 made buckets. 

Nick: When all five players on the floor are capable of being playmakers and play finishers, it allows the Thunder to exploit the matchups that they want. On Thursday night it was second-year guard Tre Mann blowing by 76ers guard James Harden on multiple occasions, getting downhill into the paint, finding his spots in the midrange and burying a 3-point look as well. Mann, whose handles often put defenders on skates, was in complete control and playing with the swagger that can make him frighteningly for opponents. Mann went 4-for-6 from the field for 11 points in the first half, part of a 14-point, two-assist effort overall. 

Paris: Philly set out in the third quarter on a strong 13-0 run to take a 3-point lead. Unwavering, the Thunder withstood the punch from the 76ers and responded with a 16-5 run of its own to regain a seven-point lead and force a timeout by Doc Rivers. The same rapid ball movement that generated quality looks in the first half was the same ball movement that brought the Thunder back ahead in the third quarter. Everyone got involved offensively for the Thunder – Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams, Mike Muscala and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were all responsible for baskets during the run.

Nick: The Thunder showed incredible relentlessness and resolve in the third quarter as it outscored Philadelphia 30-7 in the middle stages of the period. One play personified that tenacity came in the midst of that run, when OKC just stayed with the play long enough to will the ball into the basket. Mike Muscala, who nailed two of the Thunder’s 14 3-pointers, got one blocked in the corner and then missed one, but Jalen Williams kept the play alive with hustle on the glass, knocking the ball off the backboard and drawing two Philadelphia rebounders, freeing up the smallest guy on the floor, Isaiah Joe, for a chance to crash the glass for a putback. 

Nick: It's was a march to the free-throw line for both teams late in this game, and OKC and Philadelphia have two of the most productive in that category in NBA history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joel Embiid are two of just six players since 1985 to make at least nine free throws per game. Both players had double-digit makes on the night, including a perfect 16-for-16 by Gilgeous-Alexander with two crucial ones coming after perhaps the play of the game. Isolated on defense at the top of the key against Embiid, Gilgeous-Alexander used his wingspan and defensive timing to poke the ball away. As it bounce away to mid-court, Shai was first to the ball and drew a foul on Embiid in the process. In addition to the deflection in crunch time, Gilgeous-Alexander added two blocks, a steal, eight rebounds and six assists to his 37-point night. 

Paris: Josh Giddey attacked the paint and floated up a shot that bounced off the glass and fell through the rim. Meanwhile, the Australia native took on contact that sent him to the floor giving him an and-one opportunity. With his made free throw, Giddey became the fifth Thunder player to score in double figures as he notched his 12th point of the game. The 6-foot-8 guard has focused his efforts on attacking the paint with more force and looking for more opportunities to get to the free throw line. By the end of the night, Giddey notched five of his 20 points from the charity stripe. 

“You're not going to be great every night. We want to be a team that responds to adversity. We want to be a team that stays grounded when we have success, which will be our challenge tomorrow coming off this game. It was great awareness of the opponent's state coming into the game. The last time they played us, they were short-handed and they took it to us. We knew we'd be going against a confident team and they’ve played really well lately. I just thought we had great awareness coming in, which is a sign of maturity and certainly something that is important moving forward.” —Coach Daigneault 

“We didn't flinch. We knew that they were going to come out ready to ready to go in that second half and they did. We could have easily folded and went into our shells but guys took the challenge on and I think we responded really well out of that timeout… We did a good job of managing the storm down the stretch. It could have been easy to let the crowd in the game and let them get going, but we made it tough for them.” —Josh Giddey

It’ll be a tough back to back for the Thunder as it flies back to the central time zone for a battle with the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. After that, OKC will conclude the four-game road swing on Sunday in Brooklyn against the Nets. 

By Zach Beeker | OKC Thunder