The Thunder came into this game after getting a reality check-in Indiana from the Pacers. That was the first game all season that the Thunder weren’t really into a game at the end. This Thunder team has been competitive all season and that didn’t change tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers. This was a complete game from the OKC Thunder tonight as 4 players had 19+ points. The player that stood out and made a huge difference in the game from the tipoff was Terrance Ferguson as he was locked in from the start. This is a sight that OKC Thunder fans have been waiting for from the native from Tulsa. Ferguson played with a lot of confidence and was able to make the best of his open opportunities from the 3 point line as he finished with 19 points on (5-7) from downtown. If the Thunder can continue to get this kind of explosiveness that Ferguson played with tonight they will be a scary sight to see on a nightly basis. The confidence that Ferguson played with tonight rubbed off on his teammates as they were able to click on all levels.

The trio of Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was getting whatever they wanted in the second half of this game. Combined all three of them finished with 79 points on the night and they made the 76ers pay from all over the court. Chris Paul was able to get his offense going as he went into takeover mode in second half. When Chris Paul gets into attack mode he’s still one of the best to do it in the NBA. People were quick to turn their back on the talent of CP3 and tonight against the 76ers he let them know he’s still got it. Chris Paul was able to have the 76ers defenders on a rope and was able to get catch them with their hands in the cookie jar on his sweep thru move. Paul has been able to get to the line with ease and he’s been able to master his mid-range jumper. Paul was able to hit his jumper on anyone that was in his way didn’t matter if it was Joel Embiid or Al Horford. The play and leadership of Chris Paul have translated over to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he’s taken that next step in his career in OKC. Some of the moves that Shai was able to get off against the Philly defense was unreal. The 76ers had Josh Richardson guarding Shai all night and it didn’t matter who has been in front of him because of his dominant play. When Shai gets the confidence from his teammates he gets even more aggressive in his play and it showed tonight. Some of the layups and drives to the lane against Philly he had that look like he won’t be stopped. Shai is the future of OKC but he’s meshing well with Chris Paul in the present and it’s working. Shai finished with 24 points but made some clutch shots against the 76ers down the stretch. The last of the trio that went off tonight for the Thunder was Danilo Gallinari as he’s been an automatic sharpshooter from the perimeter and he’s looking for his shot at any moment. The one thing that was on display against the 76ers tonight that we haven’t seen from Danilo Gallinari’s game was his playmaking ability as he was making some sexy behind the back passes. We know he’s a walking bucket for the Thunder but if he can start opening the offense for the team like he did tonight when Philly was running out to him at the line it would help. Gallinari finished with a game-high 28 points on the night and was making some tough shots. When he’s in a zone like he’s been the last couple of games anything is possible for his game moving forward. In overtime, the Thunder were able to put their foot down and make the plays that the 76ers couldn’t down the stretch.

The 76ers were in this game for the majority of the night but in overtime, it was all OKC. The 76ers lost Tobias Harris as he fouled out and they weren’t able to capitalize on the hot hand of Josh Richardson who finished with 28 points. Joel Embiid had a big game for Philly with 31 points on the night but he needed some more points in the overtime that didn’t happen. The Thunder threw Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel at him to try and slow down the best big in the NBA. The Thunder were double-teaming Ben Simmons on the night and they were able to hold him to 16 points on the night. One thing OKC did in the second half was defend Simmons and Richardson differently with multiple looks. The 76ers weren’t able to execute in the overtime and that was the reason they lost this game. They had a chance to win in regulation but Joel Embiid couldn’t convert and now they’ve lost 5 of the last 7 games. The Thunder will be playing both LA teams next week as they look to improve on their record, even more, moving forward.