Josh Giddey: ‘We Belong’ as Thunder Down Sixers in South Philly

Young Thunder star Josh Giddey feels his team's win over the Sixers proves a valuable point.

With back-to-back dominant performances against a shorthanded rebuilding Detroit Pistons team, the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder before embarking on their West Coast road trip. As expected, the Eastern Conference contenders were favored over the young Western Conference squad.

Did the Sixers overlook the Thunder? Possibly, but OKC had a notable chip on their shoulder going into Thursday’s game considering the way their last matchup against the Sixers played out. As the 76ers went into Oklahoma City without James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Tyrese Maxey, the Thunder got walloped, taking on a 115-96 loss.

On Thursday, the Thunder served up some revenge. After the game, Oklahoma City guard Josh Giddey believed that their win in Philadelphia sent a message to the rest of the league.

“We belong,” said Giddey. “I mean, you see a lot of teams wrestle better players against us, but you know, we've shown we can compete with the best teams in the league when we're switched off from the jump, and I think we've got a hungry team. We were ready to come. We're ready to come and play every night. So it's a great group of guys to go to battle with, and the guys play for each other.”

Giddey checked in for 35 minutes on Thursday. He was one of five Thunder players to notch double-digits in scoring. With 20 points on 14 shots, along with eight assists, Giddey was a key contributor to Oklahoma City’s success on the road.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge for the Thunder, with a game-high of 37 points in 34 minutes. Oklahoma City had control of the matchup throughout the entire night. Scoring over 30 points in all four quarters and outscoring the Sixers in three of four quarters, the Thunder put together a convincing victory on Thursday, which issued the Sixers a 133-114 loss.

With that win, the Thunder collected their 19th victory of the year, inching closer to a Play-In spot. Meanwhile, the Sixers will gear up to travel out West after picking up loss No. 16 of the year. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.