By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia 76ers faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in their third game of the regular season. They came into the game looking to rebound after getting rocked by the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Philly used an offensive explosion to bottle the Thunder 115-103.

Philly jumped on OKC from the opening tipoff. They were powered by Seth Curry who dropped 23 of his 28-points in the first quarter. He hit six three-pointers all in the first quarter. His offensive prowess continues to be a defining moment early in the regular season. He continues to hunt his shot. No matter who was on him and continuing to make life easier for Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris. He also had another good showing on the defensive end. Curry led the Sixers on a balanced night. That they did not have on Friday against the Nets.

The Thunder continued to hang around. Now they may not be winning many games this season, but they hung around with Philly. They cut a 16-point lead down to six. That is as close as they got during this game. They were powered by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who scored 29-points. Had a significant impact on the defensive end. He changed a bunch of shots. If he continues to develop the Thunder may have a generational talent.

Philly was able to increase the lead in the fourth quarter. The second unit came in and really pressed the advantage on the Thunder. Particularly Paul Reed came in and provided major energy in the fourth quarter. He has not gotten many minutes so far in the early season. He should see an increase roll with Andre Drummond being down with an ankle sprain. He took full advantage coming in and grabbing a few offensive rebounds to spark Philly’s offense. He did not light up the scoreboard, but his playmaking and energy help the Sixers expand the lead to 18. He will be an important cog for the next three-game stretch for the Philly as they prepare for games against the Knicks (Tuesday night), Detroit Pistons (Thursday night), and Atlanta Hawks (Saturday night). He will need to put in some key minutes behind Embiid to keep the energy and offensive output going against three very tough teams if Philly wants to continue their winning ways.