76ers at Thunder
The hottest teams in their respective conferences square off Sunday when the Philadelphia 76ers continue a four-game road trip at the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Sixers are coming off perhaps their best win of the season, a 97-78 triumph at San Antonio, which had lost just three of its first 23 home games before Philadelphia came in and dominated.
"We played really well defensively," center Joel Embiid told reporters. "We were physical, we got the stops we needed and on offense we took care of the ball." The Thunder have won 17 straight meetings with the Sixers dating back to Nov. 15, 2008, and including a triple-overtime thriller at Philadelphia earlier this season when Embiid and Oklahoma City superstar Russell Westbrook engaged in some notable trash talk. Westbrook recorded his 94th career triple-double with 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 121-108 win at Detroit. The Thunder's seven-game winning streak, during which they've averaged 115.6 points, is the longest active run in the league.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Oklahoma
ABOUT THE 76ERS (24-21): Rookie star Ben Simmons had a tiny dip in production in the middle of the month but has broken out in a big way during the team's current two-game winning streak. He first posted a triple-double of 19 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists against Chicago before piling up 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the rout of the Spurs, and the 21-year-old is confident that his team has moved beyond its difficult past. "That's the old Sixers. The old Sixers [didn't win here]," he told reporters in San Antonio. "We got to come in with a new mentality and leave the past behind, and play the way we play. We come to win, and play hard, and that's the end result for us: we want to win."
ABOUT THE THUNDER (29-20): The win over Detroit had plenty of positives, namely Carmelo Anthony becoming the 21st player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points, but the takeaway was a reported ruptured patellar tendon for guard Andre Roberson. "He's certainly a huge loss," coach Billy Donovan told reporters. "Everyone's been able to see that since he's kinda come back to us and what he's been able to do defensively. And he's found a way to be, offensively, a really effective player for us." Paul George, who was named as a replacement in the All-Star Game for the injured DeMarcus Cousins, chipped in 26 points Saturday and is averaging 27 over a four-game stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Embiid had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 49 minutes in the loss to the Thunder earlier this season.
2. Westbrook is averaging 36.3 points on 56.4 percent shooting over his last three contests.
3. The Thunder have taken eight matchups in a row at home.