Westbrook, Thunder rally past 76ers
PHILADELPHIA -- Russell Westbrook scored nine of his 32 points in the last 4:09, including the go-ahead free throws with 35 seconds left, as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Philadelphia 76ers 103-97 in the season opener for both teams Wednesday night.
Westbrook, who also had 12 rebounds and nine assists, snapped a 97-97 tie by connecting twice at the line after a foul off the ball by Philadelphia's Gerald Henderson.
The Thunder, which trailed by six with 6:17 left and four with 4:16 to play, spoiled the NBA debut of Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Embiid, the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, missed the past two seasons as a result of two foot surgeries.
Enes Kanter had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Steven Adams contributed 16 points for Oklahoma City, which closed the game on a 16-6 run. The Thunder was playing its first game without Kevin Durant, who signed with Golden State as a free agent in the offseason.
Nik Stauskas had 13 points for Philadelphia, and Sergio Rodriguez finished with 12 points and nine assists. Jerami Grant and Robert Covington each scored 10 points.
Another Sixers rookie, forward Dario Saric, finished with five points.
The Sixers, who led 75-69 after three quarters, were still up 87-81 after a 3-pointer by Covington with just over six minutes left. The Thunder mounted a challenge, but Covington's two free throws with just over four minutes to go gave Philadelphia a 91-87 edge.
Westbrook then nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the circle, starting Oklahoma City's game-ending rally.
The Sixers opened an 18-7 lead at the start of the game, as Jahlil Okafor scored all six of eight points on the night. Saric notched his first NBA basket in that stretch, on a jumper with 8:51 left in the first quarter, and Embiid did the same 34 seconds later.
Westbrook dropped in a layup and was fouled with 4:52 left in the period, and as the Thunder guard stood at the baseline and celebrated, a male fan in the front row directed two obscene gestures in Westbrook's direction. The fan was then ejected.
The two teams traded the lead seven times the rest of the half, which ended in a 51-51 tie. By that point, Westbrook had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Adams had 12 points.
Henderson paced the Sixers with nine points before halftime, but he didn't score in the second half.
The game was tied three more times in the third quarter, the last time at 64-all with 3:42 left, but Stauskas put Philadelphia ahead with a three-point play. Embiid and Grant added four points apiece in an 11-5 flurry at the end of the period, which ended with the Sixers on top 75-69.
NOTES: Sixers F Ben Simmons said before the game a screw was inserted in his fractured right foot during his recent surgery, and while there is no timetable for his return, neither has there been any discussion of him sitting out the entire season. "Somebody put that out there," he said, "but I'll come back when I'm ready." Reports have indicated that Simmons will be out until at least January. ... Philadelphia C Joel Embiid said before tip that contrary to an SI.com report, he never seriously considered quitting the NBA while sitting out two years, a span in which his younger brother died in an accident in his native Cameroon. "I love basketball too much to make that decision," he said. ... Thunder coach Billy Donovan said his team must figure out how to ease the burden on G Russell Westbrook. "He can't facilitate every single shot, every single basket, every single assist," Donovan said, "because it's going to wear him out."