Player grades: Short-handed Thunder help Sixers' lottery odds with 133-100 win
OKLAHOMA CITY — As the ball went up in the air, Chet Holmgren barely had to lift his sneakers off the court to win the opening tipoff. After all, Guerschon Yabusele didn't even attempt to fight for possession mid-air. It took less than two minutes to see how this contest would play out.
The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 133-100 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Both squads played their second-stringers and third-stringers for different motivations. Injury reports took two pages to type out. Despite that, it was a wire-to-wire victory for OKC's B squad which led by as many as 41 points
The Thunder quickly scored the first 10 points. Isaiah Joe swung the ball over to Jaylin Williams for a 3-pointer that forced the Sixers to call an early timeout. That didn't do much as Chet Holmgren led them to a season-high 42 points in the opening frame. They had a 42-26 lead after the first quarter.
The Sixers utilized a 14-1 run in the second frame to get as close as six points but the Thunder had a strong finish to the first half to enter the break with a controlling 70-56 lead. The second half saw little drama as the contest got away from Philly.
The Thunder went on a 23-7 run to blow it open. They outscored the Sixers 33-18 in the third quarter and entered the fourth frame with a 103-74 advantage. At that point, a running clock would've been nice. The only storyline left unresolved was if Williams would get his second career triple-double, which he did when Adam Flagler gave him his 10th assist off a 3-pointer.
The Thunder shot 52% from the field and went 24-of-52 (46.2%) from 3. They shot 15-of-20 on free throws. They had 36 assists on 47 baskets. Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Holmgren had 19 points and seven rebounds. Williams tallied a 19-point triple-double. Aaron Wiggins scored 26 points and Joe scored 21 points. Dillon Jones had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists in his first start. Branden Carlson had 16 points and Kenrich Williams had 13 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Sixers shot 37% from the field and went 18-of-57 (31.6%) from 3. They shot 12-of-16 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 35 baskets. Five Sixers players scored double-digit points.
Quentin Grimes was limited to 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting and five assists. Justin Edwards scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Chuma Okeke logged 14 points and 15 rebounds. Yabusele had 11 points and four rebounds. Alex Reese had 11 points and five rebounds.
Both teams got what they wanted out of this weird NBA contest. The Sixers improved their lottery odds and the Thunder gave several of their top players the game off after a grueling road trip. This is classic NBA March basketball where the front offices' priorities leak over to the court.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Chet Holmgren: B
Almost offended that Ricky Council IV tried to trick Holmgren to get an easy layup, the seven-footer swatted his shot with such authority that it bordered on disrespect. The lone starter, the seven-footer looked a little too good to be out there.
Holmgren finished with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting and seven rebounds. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 5-of-6 on free throws. He also had a block.
Instead of using these unique circumstances to be the undisputed best scorer, Holmgren played within the flow of the contest. The Sixers had no answer against him as he was a mismatch nightmare throughout the contest before he sat out the fourth quarter.
Considering the Thunder's injury report, it was interesting to see how Holmgren would look without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. He played the same role as a play finisher and a catch-and-shoot threat.
It's raining, it's pouring 🌧️👌 pic.twitter.com/Bdal9gBfq3
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Didn't even break a sweat on this one 😅 pic.twitter.com/T7TiHYq9WA
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Power in the paint 😤 pic.twitter.com/lsb1YBtTX0
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Jaylin Williams: A-plus
For the second time this season, Williams emulated Nikola Jokic. The playmaking center saw the offense revolve around him like a sun to its galaxy. The Thunder's bench players surrounded him and moved off-ball for easy looks. Passing it out to Flagler, he logged his second triple-double in the fourth quarter.
Williams finished with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 17 rebounds and 11 assists. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He had two steals.
Playing against this version of the Sixers is a get-right game for anybody in a regular NBA rotation. For Williams, that featured being an offensive hub and dissecting their lost defense. He also scored a career-high points and was a board machine.
As Williams had his personal stat keepers on the Thunder's bench, he was drenched with gallons of cold water when he received the postgame interview for the triple-double. The locker room favorite had another chance underneath the spotlight.
No look? No problem 👌 pic.twitter.com/ut7mMOTD6g
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
3️⃣ got his 2️⃣+1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qgcnbkmfFJ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Aaron Wiggins: A-plus
As Williams threw a behind-the-back bounce pass, Wiggins fastly cut to the basket and threw down an animated one-handed jam that caused the OKC crowd to get as loud as it was all night from a mundane blowout.
Wiggins finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, six assists and four rebounds. He shot 4-of-10 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws.
With so many players out, this was the perfect opportunity for Wiggins to be a primary ball-handler. He's had other chances to be in similar situations and has excelled. Add in this performance underneath that total. He constantly attacked the basket and scored on deep outside looks.
The 26-year-old got into a groove and became the Thunder's top scorer. It's been a career season for Wiggins and has emerged as one of OKC's best bench players who can start when needed. His improved ball-handling has helped him go from an assisted basket scorer to someone who can create their look.
Tuff bucket 😤 pic.twitter.com/HWlRb2OQc5
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Snatch and score 💪 pic.twitter.com/rInfMOiTkB
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Euro steppin' to the basket 🧺 pic.twitter.com/fxAjQgbIyG
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
There's just no escaping the Thunder anywhere on the court 💪@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/JymIIcYagN
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Dont hurt 'em, @Aaron_Wiggins_ 😤 pic.twitter.com/5j4WH2eloj
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Isaiah Joe: A
Already dealing with their championship aspirations flushed down the toilet, facing off against the Thunder always results in extra salt to the wound for the Sixers. Joe has become one of those players who slipped through the cracks at Philly. This was the latest example.
Joe finished with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, five assists and three rebounds. He shot 5-of-9 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws.
Even without Gilgeous-Alexander's gravity, Joe received plenty of decent looks from the outside Credit that to Williams, who replaced Isaiah Hartenstein as his DHO partner. The 25-year-old hit a pair of triples in the third frame to turn this into a lopsided contest.
The usual bench player received the start and took advantage of the extra shots. It shows how ridiculously deep the Thunder are that their seventh and eighth players on the depth chart exploded for 20-plus points and nobody blinked an eye.
Right on the 💰 pic.twitter.com/ehocgg4N1f
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Turned the jets on after that steal ✈️ pic.twitter.com/VGNLyin1MJ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 20, 2025
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder help Sixers' lottery odds with 133-100 win
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