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Fansided

What Cost The Philadelphia 76ers The Game Last Night?

By George Kondoleon

Oct 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) falls hard while being by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Semaj Christon (6) while shooting during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder won 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) falls hard while being by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Semaj Christon (6) while shooting during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder won 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers opened up their season with a last-minute loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When Joel Embiid stood inside the half-court circle for the opening tip-off, the Philadelphia 76ers had this new swagger about them. The star they’ve been seeking for the past three years finally stepped onto the court, and he did not disappoint.

Embiid grabbed 3 boards before hitting his first career jump shot. It was an incredible post move at the foul line followed by a beautiful turnaround jump shot. The Wells Fargo Center went crazy every time he touched the ball. Any rebound, block, or basket was cheered on relentlessly for the rookie who had to face two years of grueling rehab before finally playing his first NBA game.

Embiid surpassed his 20-minute limits restriction to rack up 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Head Coach Brett Brown felt comfortable leaving Embiid in the game late, while the Philadelphia 76ers tried to hang on to a slim lead.

Despite the beautiful NBA debut from Embiid and the impressive re-introduction of point guard Sergio Rodriguez (12 points, 9 assists, 0 turnovers), the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to overcome what felt like a game-long deficit. Here’s what cost the Sixers to lose their 75-69 lead heading into the fourth.

Russell Westbrook Popping Off

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost an NBA superstar when Kevin Durant joined forces with the dominant Golden State Warriors. Luckily for them, they had the luxury of another superstar in Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is a triple-double machine, and almost had his first of the year on opening night. He finished with a game-high 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists came in the fourth quarter.

The stats don’t show the impact Westbrook had in the game. Gerald Henderson was guarding the star guard close the last two minutes of the game, but star-power overcame great defense. On multiple occasions, Westbrook hit contested jumpers with the game hanging in the balance like the one below.

Westbrook also drew some key fouls late and set the tempo for key offensive drives, including the play that iced the game.

Offensive Rebounding

The Thunder destroyed the Philadelphia 76ers throughout the game in offensive rebounding. The Thunder racked up an ORB% of 25.5 while the Sixers had just 11.1. That came to the forefront in the last quarter, where the Thunder recorded 7 of their 13 offensive rebounds. The offensive rebounds came on missed free throws in transition for the most part, including this final play that put the game out of reach.

Giving up offensive rebounds will continue to be a problem, with a lack of rebounding wings on the roster for the Philadelphia 76ers. The defensive rebounding problems of Jahlil Okafor and Richaun Holmes will also attribute to the struggles.

Poor Shot Decisions

Gerald Henderson started the game hot, but tailed off offensively towards the end. He missed a key jumper early in the shot clock from beyond the arc.

He also had the costly and unwarranted contested drive at the end of the game, which led to a turnover.

Dario Saric also failed to be a factor late in the game. The rookie’s confidence didn’t waver, but unfortunately neither did his cold spell. He took a costly jump shot early in the shot clock from the top of the arc. Taking away the offensive possession. A rookie mistake, but a costly one in the game.

The quick shots gave the ball back to Oklahoma City Thunder, and halted the Sixers’ offensive flow.   The last key factor came with Embiid’s final miss of the game, off of a disappointing inbound play that is inconsistent with Brown’s creativity with the clipboard.

That play should be designated to get the team a key bucket, but they instead relied solely on their star option in Embiid. Not a bad decision, but it would’ve been nice to see the Sixers try to free him up for an easy bucket.

Next: Trade Leverage Decreasing

Nonetheless, it was an exciting start for the young Philadelphia 76ers, and they will continue to open some eyes with their competitiveness.