Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Loss in Duel with 76ers

The Thunder failed to extend their winning streak to seven, but the loss was still encouraging.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a couple of big performances but could not take down the reigning MVP.

In the Thunder’s 127-123 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren scored more than 30 points. Holmgren battled 76ers’ star Joel Embiid throughout the evening.

Embiid led Philadelphia with 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. The superstar center added to his near-triple-double with four blocks.

His counterpart, Tyrese Maxey, scored 28 points as he and Embiid combined for 19 in the final frame. In that fourth quarter, the 76ers outscored the Thunder 41-34 but still managed to secure the win.

As they have much of the season, the Thunder struggled to rebound against one of the league’s best bigs. The 76ers won the rebounding battle 49-38, including 17 offensive rebounds.

Let’s dive into three lessons that can be learned from yesterday’s game.

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Chet Holmgren is already elite

Holmgren went head-to-head with the reigning MVP and looked to be near his level. The Gonzaga product went for 33 points and six rebounds against Embiid.

With five 3-pointers, the rookie big man showed off his range with career-highs in makes and attempts (11) from that range. His shot location is also something to take note of, as all but one of his 21 shots came in the paint or beyond the arc.

The 7-footer also accounted for all three of Oklahoma City’s blocks. Holmgren kept all his blocks in play and finished off one on the other end in the third quarter with a fast break slam.

Isaiah Joe needs to let the game come to him

Isaiah Joe has been a vital part of the Thunder’s success early this season. However, his ultimate green light can be a detriment in certain games.

A matchup against his former team was an example of that. Joe shot 4-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-12 from 3-point range on Saturday.

Oklahoma City’s sharpshooter got off to a poor start, missing five of his first six shots. Including a 3-point attempt that was blocked by Nicolas Batum, Joe originally had space on many of his attempts, but reckless closeouts and rotations by Philadelphia defenders closed that space.

While the fourth-year guard is a good shooter, he needs to get better at taking advantage of the defensive attention he commands.

The Thunder is taking care of the ball

Oklahoma City turned the ball over just four times on Saturday, something that had been done only five times in the NBA this season. While that impressive number was not enough to get a win, it did showcase how the team plays.

The Thunder likes to get out and run in transition and get easy buckets. But, most importantly, they want to get their teammates involved and thrive as a collective.

With 29 assists, Oklahoma City had its fourth-highest assist game, led by Josh Giddey, who had eight. The game against Philadelphia also marked the team’s third game this season, where three players had at least five assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylin Williams joined in on the action as those three players combined for 18 assists and only two turnovers.

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The Thunder’s six-game winning streak was destined to end at some point. But with a tough stretch of games ahead, they need to refocus quickly, or their early surge to the top of the Western Conference standings could be forgotten.

That stretch continues with a game on Tuesday in Minnesota against the Timberwolves to conclude Oklahoma City’s In-Season Tournament games.

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