Thunder at 76ers
THE STORY: The Oklahoma City Thunder travels to Philadelphia to play their first game since the All-Star break against the host 76ers on Wednesday. The Thunder have won five straight over the 76ers and are 11-3 in February. Oklahoma City is playing the first game of a back-to-back and is 9-2 in such openers. The 76ers beat the Detroit Pistons 97-68 on Tuesday to snap a five-game losing streak.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma (Thunder), CS Philadelphia (76ers)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (27-7): Forward Kevin Durant claimed his first All-Star MVP award after helping the West to a 152-149 victory Sunday in which he scored a game-high 36 points. Guard Russell Westbrook and coach Scott Brooks also took part in the All-Star festivities. The Thunder enters Wednesday’s contest tied with the Miami Heat for the best record in the NBA. Oklahoma City is off to its second-best start in franchise history. Only the 1993-94 Seattle SuperSonics (29-5) posted a better record through the first 34 games of the season.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (21-14): Philadephia has a four-game lead over the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division. The 76ers haven’t captured a division title since 2000-01, when the team advanced to the NBA Finals. Coach Doug Collins said center Spencer Hawes will miss at least the next two weeks because of a strained left Achilles on Tuesday. He’s hopeful that Hawes can return to play March 12 at Utah. The 76ers are 12-2 with the seven-footer in the lineup this season and 9-12 without him.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Oklahoma City is 6-1 against Eastern Conference foes this season.
2. The Thunder have a conference-best 12-6 road record.
3. The 76ers have lost four of their past five home games after winning 12 of their first 14 at Wells Fargo Center.