PHILADELPHIA — On paper, the Philadelphia 76ers are the much better team than their opponent on Thursday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Sixers feature Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and others. The Thunder feature two rookies and a second-year player in their starting lineup.
However, this is the NBA. Any team can be beaten on any night and that’s what happened on Thursday. The Thunder marched into the Wells Fargo Center and knocked off the Sixers, 133-114. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 points for Oklahoma City and the team shot 51.2% from the floor.
Josh Giddey added 20 points, eight assists and four rebounds as the Thunder brought the Sixers back down to earth after Philadelphia beat up on the Detroit Pistons for two games.