OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jaylin Williams achieved a personal best by scoring 19 points and also grabbed 17 rebounds while making 11 assists, marking his second career triple-double. The Oklahoma City Thunder easily defeated the injury-stricken Philadelphia 76ers with a score of 133-100 on Wednesday night, even with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three other starters out of the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the NBA with an average of 33.0 points per game and is a top contender for MVP, rested during this match. Meanwhile, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jalen Williams missed the game due to injuries.
Aaron Wiggins stepped up and scored 26 points for the Thunder, who are leading the Western Conference. They secured the Northwest Division title and are close to securing the top seed in the Western Conference. Isaiah Joe contributed 21 points, and Chet Holmgren added 19 points for Oklahoma City, which was ahead 70-56 at halftime and 103-74 after three quarters.
For Philadelphia, Quentin Grimes scored 28 points, and Justin Edwards contributed 19 points. The team was missing injured starters Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Joel Embiid, and Paul George, with Embiid and George out for the remainder of the season.
The two teams together attempted 109 three-pointers, with Philadelphia setting a franchise record by trying 57 times.
Highlights 76ers: Coach Nick Nurse’s makeshift lineup kept the game close in the first half but couldn’t keep up with Oklahoma City’s depth in the second half. Thunder: With bench players getting more time on the court, seven players scored in double digits. This included Branden Carlson (16 points), Kenrich Williams (13 points), and Dillon Jones (11 points).
Key moment Oklahoma City launched a 33-14 run, increasing its lead to 29 points by the end of the third quarter. Key stat Oklahoma City successfully made 24 out of 56 three-point attempts (46.2%), while Philadelphia hit 18 out of 57 (31.6%).
