Sixers go the distance, but fall to Thunder in 3OT thriller

The Philadelphia 76ers (14-14) played their second straight game on ESPN primetime, and for the second game in a row, it went to overtime.

 

But it wasn't just one overtime, or even two. It was three full overtime periods.

 

The Sixers held tough and only allowed 119 points through 63 minutes, but they couldn't gain the advantage in the end, falling dramatically to the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-14), 119-117.

 

The three overtime thriller was the first to go that distance all season long, and for fans who were looking for a treat to watch on a cold, snowy Friday night, especially in the greater Philadelphia area, they got it right on ESPN.

 

The game saw career highs in minutes for a multitude of players, but the one that stood out the most was by far Joel Embiid, who played a whopping 49 minutes on the court.

 

So much for minutes restrictions, right?

 

Embiid was a straight-up baller, shooting the ball well, sometimes trying to draw fouls and not getting calls, and he finished with 34 points, 11-of-20 shooting, 12-of-13 from the line, eight rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. 

 

He did, unfortunately, finish with a game-high seven turnovers, contributing to the Sixers' 20 for the game, four less from their 24 on Tuesday.

 

The Sixers starters got major work in on the floor, and accounting for Embiid's 49 minutes, Dario Saric and Robert Covington both also played 49, JJ Redick 51, and Ben Simmons 52 (!!).

 

Saric had an interesting game shooting the ball, in fact, none of it was pretty by any stretch of the imagination. 7-of-16 from the field and 2-of-9 from downtown for a total of 16 points, but he also had eight boards, four assists, and two steals.

 

Dario's hustle on the defensive side of the ball outweighed his mistake's on offense.

 

JJ Redick still is having trouble grounding his feet and not rushing the shot when he gets an open look from three. He only managed to sink four of his 13 three point attempts and finished with 19 points.

 

Ben Simmons, who played more minutes than anyone on the Sixers, and tied for the most in the game with Russell Westbrook, had an efficient night shooting, netting 6-of-10 with 12 points.

 

Simmons still isn't shooting the ball as much as people may want him to, but had 11 assists and nine rebounds, one short of a triple-double.

 

Well, the Sixers bench played a lot better than it normally does, and Jerryd Bayless led the way. Bayless finished with 14 points, on 4-of-7 shooting, 4-of-6 from downtown. He was a big reason why the Sixers stayed in the game late in regulation to push the contest to OT.

 

Head Coach Brett Brown decided he was going to sit Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot for the game, as he didn't see action for the entirety of the night.

 

Looking at the Thunder as a team, they shot 41.6-percent from the field, going 47-of-113 and 42.9-percent from downtown (15-of-35).

 

Russell Westbrook had a team-high 27 points, and followed it up with 18 rebounds, 15 assists, and two steals.

 

Yet another triple-double for the reigning MVP.

 

But let's be honest, Westbrook could've easily had more than 27 points, considering he missed 23 shot attempts, going 10-of-33 from the field. He also went 5-of-12 from the charity stripe, gifting the Wells Fargo Center crowd at one point with a coupon for a free Frosty.

 

Carmelo Anthony had a quick and efficient night from the start shooting the ball, but cooled down drastically until the finish. Anthony had 24 points, seven rebounds, and an assist on 11-of-17 shooting.

 

Paul George also had 24 points including five three pointers.

 

Steven Adams, my original key to the game if Embiid didn't end up playing due to back tightness, was almost invisible on the court for the Thunder, finishing with five points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

 

Adams eventually fouled out of the game late in the third overtime, prompting Embiid to wave him off the court.

 

Raymond Felton was the Thunder's best bench option, with 14 points and 4-of-5 three point shooting.

 

At the end of the night, the Thunder triumphed, but the Sixers played some of the best basketball of the season.

 

They played solid defense to force bad shots, and held their own against a surging Thunder team that had been on the incline rather than the decline.

 

The Sixers very well could have let the Thunder take over late, but they held their ground and took them to the very last possible moment.

 

While the Sixers ended up on the losing side of a thrilling battle, this will still go down in history of one of the best team performances the Sixers have had in the last four years.

 

There are still things the team obviously needs to work on going forward, but this game just showed the kind of basketball they are playing right now and the quality of teams they can play their hardest game-in and game-out.

 

The Sixers' schedule gets a little bit easier now, although now they know better not to take any team they play 'lightly.'

 

The Sixers, who have now lost five of their last six games, head to Chicago on Monday night, and host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday for a back-to-back.