PHILADELPHIA — A Theo Maledon 3-pointer dropped through the bottom of the net with less than three minutes to play, and an uncharacteristically subdued crowd briefly turned restless.
But then Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey quickly restored order for the 76ers with a beyond-the-arc make and driving layup, respectively.
The Sixers overcame a listless start (and finish) and got 25 points and a season-high 19 rebounds from Joel Embiid to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 100-87, Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
The game was plopped in the waiting period before James Harden’s much-anticipated arrival following Thursday’s blockbuster trade that sent Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets. Harden and veteran forward Paul Millsap, whom the Sixers also acquired in the deal, are not expected to play Saturday against Cleveland while they undergo physicals and other protocols to complete the trade.
Embiid, like his team, overcame a slow 3-of-12 start from the floor to finish with the hearty stat line that also included four assists. Maxey added 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting and five rebounds.
The Sixers (33-22) had made just 13 of their first 45 field-goal attempts late into the second quarter, before an offensive rebound and dunk by Harris. Maxey followed with a transition finish and reverse layup right before the halftime buzzer put the Sixers up 46-41 at the break.
Matisse Thybulle then started the third quarter with a steal and fast-break dunk, before Maxey added a 3-pointer to extend the Sixers’ lead to 51-41. That advantage later grew to 16 points on an Embiid and-1 finish and free throw with less than a minute to play in the third quarter, then 19 on a 3-pointer by Danny Green that made the score 85-66 with about eight minutes remaining before the Thunder’s final run.
Shake Milton returns
Shake Milton was back on the floor for the first time since Jan. 3 (back contusion) and looked like a player who needed to regain his rhythm. Milton missed eight of his nine shots, including a baseline dunk attempt that rimmed off, and finished with four points, four rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes.
Milton entered the game to give Maxey a rest at about the five-minute mark of the first, second and third quarters to run point with the second unit. He also played brief stretches at the end of each of the first three periods, and the start of the second and fourth, alongside Maxey.
Despite the struggles, Milton’s presence helped solidify a guard rotation that has been out of whack for weeks. With Curry gone and Harden yet to arrive, Korkmaz started the game at shooting guard. Isaiah Joe, who has been in the rotation some as of late, did not play.
Paul Reed, backup center
Coach Doc Rivers acknowledged before Friday’s game that backup center Andre Drummond was a late addition to the trade with the Nets, and that the Sixers would explore the buyout market for a replacement.
But that does not help the Sixers immediately. And Friday night, second-year big man Paul Reed got those minutes behind Embiid. He finished with six points on 3-of-7 shooting and seven rebounds in 13 minutes.
His most eye-popping moment came for all the wrong reasons, when he missed a breakaway dunk attempt and fell down in a sequence worthy of Shaqtin’ a Fool.
Reed went 1 of 4 from the floor in seven first-half minutes, but did contribute three rebounds and played solid defense. Right after checking in late in the first quarter, he collected a dive-on-the-floor steal and block on Thunder guard Ty Jerome inside that led to a Milton bucket.
During his second-half stint, Reed threw down a dunk to start the fourth quarter. He also tipped out an offensive rebound that led to a Georges Niang 3-pointer.
Harden presence
The Sixers first acknowledged Thursday’s trade in a more subtle way, removing clips of Simmons, Curry and Drummond and changing the song for their pregame intro video.
But midway through the second quarter, a video montage of Harden clips in his Thunder, Rockets and Nets jerseys played — before ending an edited photo of him in a blue No. 1 Sixers jersey. Naturally, it drew a rousing ovation from the crowd.
At one point during the third quarter, a fan wearing a red No. 13 Harden Artesia High School jersey walked past the seats under the Sixers’ basket.
