76ers vs. Thunder: Key Talking Points
On Saturday, the Philadelphia 76ers travel to Oklahoma City, where they're set to take on the Thunder for the first time this season.
The Sixers come into the match off of a 99-112 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which came despite the scoring efforts of Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and Marcus Morris Sr, who all scored 16 points a piece.
With their loss against the Timberwolves, Philadelphia dropped down to the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, as they continue to struggle in the middle of the month, only winning two of their last five games.
What to look out for:
How big is the return of Joel Embiid to the Sixers' lineup?
Apart from Anthony Edwards scoring 31 points on Wednesday night, the Sixers went into the match without the defending MVP, Joel Embiid, who was sidelined due to hip soreness.
The decision to have the reigning MVP sit out shouldn't have come as a surprise given his 41 minute performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, yet it still stung Philadelphia's offense.
With Embiid out, Nick Nurse loses a significant part of his offensive engine, as Embiid is averaging a team-high 32 points and 11 rebounds per game, most of which come on the defensive engine.
The Cameroonian superstar has been upgraded to probable for Saturday night's match, so things could be looking up for the Sixers.
Can the Sixers slow down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
The Thunder come into Saturday night's match with a record of 11-4, tied for the top spot in the Western Conference with Minnesota.
They have a lot of things going for them, including Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and even former-Sixer Isaiah Joe, but perhaps their biggest asset is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Canadian guard is averaging 30 points per game on the season, which is increased to 33 points on 57 percent from the field over his previous five games, so it'll be imperative for Philadelphia to slow him down if they wish to come out on top on Saturday night.
Can Tyrese Maxey get back to his elevated run of form?
The recent run of games hasn't been too kind to Maxey, who granted, is still averaging a more than respectable average of 23 points and seven assists over the previous five games.
But in comparison to his run of form prior to that, when he was putting up 28 points and eight assists a night, it's hard to compare to.
Perhaps the potential return of Embiid into the Sixers lineup, will give the Thunder defense more to handle, which would provide Maxey with opportunities to cut in, break free off the ball, and be the offensive threat that he has been throughout the season under Nurse.