Oklahoma City rookie Chet Holmgren continued to press his claims for Rookie of the Year honours after another standout performance, scoring a team-high 33 points in the Thunder’s 127-123 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Thunder squeezed every second they could from the clock late but six clutch free throws from Joel Embiid, who had 35 points, ensured victory for Philadelphia.
Embiid also had 11 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks in the win while Tyrese Maxey overcame a slow start to score 28 points for the Sixers.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way alongside Holmgren for the Thunder with 31 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
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Australian Josh Giddey threatened a triple-double as he finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
OKC coach Mark Daigneault had confirmed before Sunday’s game that Giddey would be free to suit up, although his availability will still continue to be subject to any actions from the NBA.
“Just with the information that we have at this point, that’s the decision we’ve made. It’s really not even a decision to be honest with you,” he said.
A Thunder spokesperson later clarified that by “not even a decision” Daigneault was referencing the fact the matter is now in the NBA’s hands.
The league is currently investigating Giddey amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
The Thunder took a 31-29 lead into the first quarter despite falling behind early, finishing the period on a 13-3 run in the final four minutes.
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Jaylin Williams was the spark plug for Oklahoma City off the bench, hitting a quick pair of 3-pointers as he finished the opening quarter on nine points.
Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, was dependable as always with nine points to go with a steal and two assists.
As for Giddey, he dropped a floater for his first bucket of the night and then put it on a platter for the Holmgren alley-oop in one of three assists in the opening quarter.
“Josh put that ball where no one else can get it,” Michael Cage said in commentary.
Philadelphia had jumped out to a 10-3 lead after two minutes and were still ahead 26-18 in the latter stages of the quarter before OKC’s late run, which happened even with Embiid and Maxey both on the court.
Embiid led the Sixers after the first quarter with nine points but Maxey wasn’t able to have the same impact early, going 1-of-3 for just two points
Embiid started the second quarter on the bench and Oklahoma City took full advantage early, clamping down on defence and coming up with plays on the other end of the court to take a 43-36 lead.
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Embiid made an immediate impact when he did return to the court as Philadelphia regained the lead, emphatically blocking a Williams layup before then hustling for the offensive rebound off a Maxey miss and kicking it out to De’Anthony Melton for the 3-pointer in one impressive sequence from the reigning MVP.
The Thunder picked up the pace though in a back-and-forth ending to the period as the Sixers held on to a 65-61 lead heading into halftime.
That continued into the third as time OKC regained ascendancy once more, this time on the back of seven early points from Holmgren as the Thunder went up 68-67.
A pair of Giddey free throws then extended the difference to 70-67 before Holmgren continued to step up, first hitting a 3-pointer before then blocking a Melton shot and backing up on the fastbreak for the dunk.
That brought up 12 points for Holmgren and a 75-71 lead for the Thunder. Maxey then started to heat up for the Sixers with four points and an assist as they pushed ahead 80-75.
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It was just the beginning of what was Philadelphia’s most dominant stretch of the game, with the 76ers jumping out to a 93-80 buffer at one point for the biggest lead of the contest.
Isaiah Joe eventually scored OKC’s first points in three minutes but it was still Philadelphia with a commanding 93-82 lead entering the final quarter of the game.
Five quick points from Lu Dort early in the fourth had the Thunder back within seven points and down to four heading into the last two minutes of the game.
In the end though Oklahoma City was unable to run Philadelphia down despite incredibly scoring a flurry of points to keep the game alive as the Thunder intentionally fouled Sixers players late.
Embiid made six clutch free throws down the stretch to put the result beyond doubt.
