Takeaways: OKC Thunder winning streak snapped vs Sixers

In the OKC Thunder’s clash with the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday afternoon, the two squads were tied in the standings at 11-4 15 games into the 2023-24 campaign.

However, there is one small caveat regarding these squads’ records, including Saturday’s match. The Sixers are 4-4 against the top-six teams in the Eastern and Western Conference, whereas the Thunder sit at 1-2, with their lone win against the short-handed Phoenix Suns.

The OKC Thunder saw their winning streak snapped against the 76ers, here are three takeaways from that game.

Although the sample size is small, if the OKC Thunder want to remain among the league’s elite, they must improve against upper-echelon competition.

It was an exciting contest inside Paycom Center as the Sixers returned with the 127-123 victory over the OKC Thunder. Joel Embiid led all scorers with 35 points, Chet Holmgren led the way for the Thunder with 33 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in 31 points, and Tyrese Maxey added 28 points.

The OKC Thunder’s bench shined, outscoring the Sixers bench 44-20; Isaiah Joe led OKC’s bench with 13 points.

However, he was inefficient, going 4-14 from the floor and 2-12 from three. Joe’s struggles should be credited to the Sixers and Nick Nurse for employing an excellent defensive scheme against their former guard.