Thunder Fall Short of 76ers in Tension-Filled Game
Although it had the lead for most of the contest, Oklahoma City Thunder fell short after a late-game comeback from the Philadelphia 76ers.
The odds were certainly stacked against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Missing arguably its two best players — in the form of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams — the Thunder were at a disadvantage against a Philadelphia 76ers team getting back its MVP candidate in Joel Embiid. Due to the circumstances and a late-game collapse it felt just short, 109-105.
In the largest offensive role he's had to play the entire season, Chet Holmgren held up his end with a 22 point, seven rebound and two block performance on 7-of-14 shooting. He defended a returning Embiid considerably well, while stepping up in an important scoring role.
The absences Oklahoma City had to endure made other players step up with an increased offensive roles alongside Holmgren, including Aaron Wiggins' 15 and Isaiah Joe's 14 points. Although Philadelphia isn't currently at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, it's a quality team that required plenty of attention.
Holmgren started the Thunder's offensive flurry with a 3-pointer from the top of the key along with a mid-range jumper, a good start for a game where he would need to be it's main offensive weapon. Embiid and the Sixers jumped right back though, with Oklahoma City falling behind 22-25.
The start of the second quarter remained much of the same back and forth play, but the Thunder started to build a lead in the latter half. In the final two minutes it went on an 11-5 run, gaining a 54-44 lead at the end of the first half. Aaron Wiggins' 10 points led the way, stepping up in his newfound starting role.
Philadelphia didn't run away from the fight once the second half began, scoring 29 points in the third quarter and making it a seven-point game. The likes of Holmgren and Dort were still effective, however, and Oklahoma City held Embiid admirably well.
The Thunder kept up a similar pace once the fourth quarter opened up, but the Sixers had an even higher pace. It went on an 9-3 run in the final few minutes of the game to gain a 104-103 lead, completely flipping the game and making for a tension-filled end to the contest.
Dort put Oklahoma City back up after a put-back attempt off a missed Joe 3-point attempt, but Embiid got back to the free-throw line on two occasions put his team up by three points. Joe and Jaylin Williams had attempts down the stretch to tie the game, but missed the mark on both all of their attempts, resulting in a loss.
The Thunder will leave Philadelphia to face the Boston Celtics (59-16) on Wednesday, April 3 at 6:30 p.m. CT in another Eastern Conference matchup.
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