The Oklahoma City Thunder (6-3) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (0-9) 102-85 on Friday night.
This was a mismatch on paper and that ended up being the case in a blowout. The Sixers committed 17 turnovers in the loss and shot just 35 percent from the field. The Thunder didn’t play well offensively without Kevin Durant, but they were carried once again by Russell Westbrook. Philadelphia scored only 61 points after the first quarter and defense is going to be the key for this Thunder squad going forward without Durant.
The Thunder didn’t have their best performance, but a win is a win. They were led by Russell Westbrook, who recorded yet another triple-double in a fantastic performance. Westbrook tallied 21 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists in the victory. The defense was the key to the win though, as the Sixers shot under 35 percent from the field and had just three fast break points on the evening. The bench also had a nice game, as they outscored the Sixers bench 47-36 in the blowout. They'll look to continue this form on Sunday against the Boston Celtics in their next matchup.
The Sixers had a rough game on Friday in whats already been a rough season. Jahlil Okafor had an especially bad game, as he shot 3-for-18 while committing four turnovers in the defeat. Philadelphia was led by Nerlens Noel, who returned from a wrist injury to post a double-double in the loss. Skeptics have to wonder how all these youngster can deal with all the losing and it's a wonder how they have any motivation at all at this point. There is some nice young talent on this team, but it will be some time before they compete for a playoff spot. The losing will likely continue on Sunday when the Sixers have to travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs.
