OKLAHOMA CITY — Needing to sink in six free throws to keep a multi-possession distance on the scoreboard, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was ice cold as he switched in every attempt to fend off any hopes of an OKC comeback.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s comeback attempt went in vain in their 127-123 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The defeat snaps a six-game winning streak for the Thunder.
“Wasn’t our best game in the floor game but I thought we gave ourselves a chance to put a little game pressure on them,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “They made a couple of timely shots. I thought they handled the pressure pretty well.
“They made free throws so credit them how they closed it. I thought we pushed some of the right buttons out there on the court to give ourselves every chance to try to win.”
After playing it close for most of the first half, the Thunder entered halftime with a 65-61 deficit against the Sixers. In the third quarter, Philly added to its lead with an 18-5 run and entered the final frame with an 11-point lead.
“They delivered, they made some plays, they made some shots,” Daigneault said on the Sixers’ third-quarter run. “I thought we had a couple of self-inflicted mistakes.”
A 41-point fourth quarter helped OKC cut it to as little as two points thanks to a Holmgren pull-up 3-pointer, but with just five seconds left, there simply wasn’t enough time to build off of that.
The Thunder tried to extend the game by immediately fouling, but the Sixers kept knocking down their late free throws to keep distance on the scoreboard.
Overall, OKC shot 44% from the field and went 16-of-43 (37.2%) from 3. It enjoyed a frequent whistle as well. The Thunder shot 21-of-26 (80.8%) from the free-throw line. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 10 attempts.
The duo of Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren led the Thunder as each scored 30-plus points respectively and combined for 64 points on 55% shooting.
The Sixers shot 46% from the field and went 14-of-41 (34.1%) from 3. Philly made a living to get to the line in its win. It went a ridiculous 37-of-45 (82.2%) from the line — which featured Embiid taking a game-high 21 attempts and Tyrese Maxey attempting 11 free throws.
Going punch-for-punch with OKC’s guard-big duo, Embiid and Maxey combined for 63 points on 44% shooting in their win.
Embiid had 35 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks. He also went a comical 19-of-21 from the free-throw line. Maxey had 28 points on 8-of-17 shooting and went 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.
The rest of the Sixers starting lineup scored double-digit points — Tobias Harris had 16 points, Nicolas Batum had 14 points and De’Anthony Melton had 14 points.
As mentioned earlier, the duo of Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren headlined OKC’s loss. Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting. Holmgren had 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting and six rebounds.
Outside of those two though, it was bare. The other three OKC starters combined for 15 points. The Thunder definitely felt Jalen Williams’ absence as he missed his third consecutive game with a hip strain.
Playing against one of the best teams in the league equipped with the MVP, the Thunder did a nice job at making it a competitive contest despite missing their third-best player.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Chet Holmgren: A-plus
With OKC’s hopes fainting, Holmgren dribbled the ball up the court and hit a pull-up 3-pointer to cut its deficit to two points with five seconds left.
After exchanging buckets for Philly free throws, the outside shot went in vain, but the seven-footer’s ability to bring the ball up like a guard and hit timely shots shouldn’t be lost in the loss.
Holmgren went toe-to-toe with reigning MVP Embiid. In 32 minutes, he had 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting, six rebounds and two blocks. He shot 5-of-11 from 3.
“I played against him before but not in a real NBA game,” Holmgren said on facing Embiid. “… I knew the caliber of player he is… Great player. When you have a skillset but you also have a physical ability in terms of his size and strength that complement each other, (it’s) a real tough guard.”
A 21-point second half by Holmgren helped keep the Thunder in it against a talented Sixers squad.
Even though it came in a loss, this was one of his best performances of the season as he’s now scored 30-plus twice in the last four games. He became the first rookie in Thunder history to have multiple 30-plus point games in his first month.
“Every night, I’m looking at it as an opportunity to learn,” Holmgren said on his recent play.
Ch3️⃣t getting it started! #ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/4I4azVlyGU
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) November 25, 2023
Giddey finds Chet for the alley 🔨 pic.twitter.com/lV7vE3JPRn
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 25, 2023
WHAM BAM CHET SLAM 😮💨#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/7RS0oLbQOj
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) November 25, 2023
Making the right reads on the defensive end 😤 pic.twitter.com/GNToVQHqYn
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 25, 2023
CHET FOR ROTY!! ☄️#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/Ycbj3YqtI5
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) November 25, 2023
Not done till the final buzzer!! #ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/0UGEVJVckq
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) November 26, 2023
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-minus
It was another day in the office for Gilgeous-Alexander as he had a casual 30-point performance.
In 36 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting, six rebounds and five assists. He shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line.
The 25-year-old scored 19 points in the first half to lead OKC to another efficient outing. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as he tried to carry the Thunder to a seventh consecutive win.
It was a bit of a struggle inside the paint for Gilgeous-Alexander as he shot just 7-of-15 in that area. Facing Embiid will do that.
“Our third quarter wasn’t as good as it’s usually been,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on the loss.
SGA tip-toes into the paint 🎨 pic.twitter.com/KQx85cBLur
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 25, 2023
SGA behind the back dime pic.twitter.com/JspRSbVXDZ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 25, 2023
Jaylin Williams: B
Needing to match the Sixers’ large frontcourt, the Thunder elected to play Williams a significant role in their loss.
In 26 minutes off the bench, Williams had his best game of the season. He totaled eight points on 3-of-9 shooting, six rebounds and five assists. He shot 2-of-5 from 3.
The second-year forward started the second half in place of a struggling Cason Wallace and was part of OKC’s closing lineup.
This was the first time to see a Williams-Holmgren frontcourt duo play extensive minutes in the regular season. It appears the Thunder think it was a successful first trial.
“We haven’t taken much of a look at that,” Daigneault said on the duo. “… That needs to be an option for us. Something we wanted to make sure we take a look at at some point and tonight was a good opportunity to do it.”
Boom at the buzzer 💥 pic.twitter.com/T9VNxI7v8J
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 25, 2023
Isaiah Joe: C
Against his former team, Joe’s recent hot 3-point shooting cooled off a bit.
In 26 minutes off the bench, Joe scored 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting. He went 3-of-12 from 3. He was part of OKC’s closing lineup as it attempted a comeback.
It felt like a game like this was due for Joe. He’s been unconscious from 3 over the last week. It only made sense for him to come back down to Earth eventually.
