Late Sixers Run Beats Thunder
With their top two scorers out for the game with injuries, the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't hold off a late run by Philadelphia and the 76ers beat OKC 109-105 on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The 76ers welcomed back former Kansas star Joel Embiid, who had missed the last two months with a knee injury, and he scored 24 points and helped spark a 14-4 run by Philly to end the game.
OKC was playing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nursing his thigh contusion and Jalen Williams out with an ankle injury.
Chet Holmgren led OKC with 22 points, and his layup and foul with 4:15 left put the Thunder up six, 101-95.
From that point on, the Sixers surged to the win, with Kelly Oubre scoring on a pair of dunks and Embiid making a jumper and going 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the final minutes.
The Thunder had gone on an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter to break an 83-83 tie, but the 76ers responded with an 18-7 to tie it at 101 with 3:22 left on an Embiid jumper.
Philadelphia outshot OKC 46 percent to 43 percent, with Oubre leading all scorers with 25 points.
Besides Holmgren, four other OKC players scored in double figures.
Aaron Wiggins and Luguentz Dort both had 15 points, while Isaiah Joe had 14 points and made four 3-pointers.
Josh Giddey added 10 points, but had a critical turnover, as Embiid stole the ball from him and was fouled on a layup attempt with 24 seconds left.
Embiid's two free throws gave Philadelphia a three-point lead at 108-105.
The Thunder then missed three 3-point attempts that would have tied the game, with Joe missing two and Jaylin Williams the final attempt.
The Thunder fell to 52-23 on the season and dropped out of the top spot in the Western Conference standings.
OKC continues their five-game road trip at Boston Wednesday night at 6:30 pm.