After their eighth consecutive loss to begin the 2015-16 season and their 18th overall dating back to last year, the Sixers (0-8) are in Oklahoma City tonight for a matchup with the Thunder (5-3), who are without the services of Kevin Durant after he suffered a hamstring injury on Tuesday night against the Wizards. Last season, Durant was limited to just 27 games due to injuries and OKC was just 27-28 without him.
On Wednesday night, the Sixers had their highest scoring effort of the year in their 119-103 loss to the Raptors, but also gave up a season-high 119 points. Jahlil Okafor had another impressive showing with his frontcourt teammate, Nerlens Noel, continuing to rest his sore wrists. Noel will return to the court tonight, according to Keith Pompey of Philly.com.The number three overall pick in this year's draft tied a career-high with 26 points on 13-for-22 shooting and also blocked four shots. In 29 minutes off the bench, guard Isaiah Canaan scored 18 points and hit five shots from beyond the arc. T.J. McConnell continued to show his worth at the point with a career-best 13 assists. The Sixers continue to get very little from Nik Stauskas, who shot just 3-for-11 against Toronto. Trailing by just six at the half, the Sixers allowed the Raptors pulled away in the third, riding a 12-0 run out of the locker room. That ended up being a small part of a bigger 21-6 run to seal the deal for Toronto.
The Thunder are coming off of a 125-101 victory, a game that saw Kevin Durant exit early due to a strain of his left hamstring. Three players scored 20 or more for Oklahoma City, who have won their last two and scored 124 and 125 points the last two nights respectively. Russell Westbrook tallied his first triple-double of the season, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 boards. Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, if he returns, will have their work cut out for them as the Thunder rank first in the NBA when it comes to rebounds with 50.3 per game. They're second in points per game with 114.8 while the Sixers are last in the league with 92.9.
Game Notes:
- The Sixers are 0-6 all-time in Oklahoma City
- Jahlil Okafor leads all rookies in scoring with 20.6 points per game and comes in fourth in rebounds at 6.9. He's averaging over eight more points than his next closest teammate.
- Philadelphia has given up an average of 110.8 points in its last four games.
- Each of the last three Thunder wins have been by a 20-point margin.
- Undrafted free agent point guard T.J. McConnell ranks fifth in the NBA with 8.3 assists per game.
- The Sixers have been out-rebounded 114-89 over the last two games.
Projected lineups:
Sixers
PG T.J. McConnell
SG Nik Stauskas
SF Jerami Grant
PF Nerlens Noel
C Jahlil Okafor
Thunder
PG Russell Westbrook
SG Andre Roberson
SF Kyle Singler
PF Serge Ibaka
C Steven Adams
Injuries:
Sixers
Robert Covington (MCL sprain) is out, Richaun Holmes (hamstring) is questioable, Nerlens Noel (wrists) is probable
Joel Embiid, Tony Wroten, Carl Landry and Kendall Marshall also all remain out of the lineup.
Thunder
Kevin Durant (hamstring) is out, Steve Novak and Josh Huestis are listed as inactives
Game Information:
Time: 8:00pm
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
TV: CSNPhilly
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Brandon Apter is a contributor to Sixerdelphia.com
