Adams’ Thunder sink 76ers in OT
Danilo Gallinari scored 28 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder top the Philadelphia 76ers 127-119 in overtime yesterday.
Chris Paul had 27 points for the Thunder while Shai GilgeousAlexander scored 24 points and Terrance Ferguson finished with 19.
It was the biggest win of the season for a Thunder franchise that lost AllStars Russell Westbrook and Paul George in off-season trades. The crowd roared in the fourth quarter and overtime and made it seem, for a night, like nothing had changed.
‘‘It was amazing,’’ Gallinari said. ‘‘These are the moments players live for and these are the moments you want at home. It was great to get them a W.’’
Joel Embiid had 31 points and 12 rebounds and Josh Richardson added 28 points for the 76ers, who have lost five of seven after a hot start.
Kiwi centre Adams did a superb job containing the difficult Embiid with his defensive contribution outweighing his stats of seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal. His staunch defence on Embiid meant the Thunder didn’t have to send help or double-team the talented centre.
Adams also snared a crucial late offensive rebound over the head of Embiid and flicked the pass out to Paul for a jump-shot that iced the game.
Oklahoma City outscored Philadelphia 20-12 in overtime.
The Thunder relentlessly attacked the bigger 76ers and outscored them 35-15 at the free-throw line. Oklahoma City shot 53.9 per cent from the field for the night.
‘‘I give our guys credit because I think we tried to play to our identity and tried to do it consistently through four quarters,’’ Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.
Gallinari missed a jumper from the top of the key that would have won it at the end of regulation, but he made up for it with seven points in overtime.
The Thunder’s back-up centre Nerlens Noel fouled out. He had six points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes.
The Thunder’s next match is against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, James Harden scored 40-plus points for the fourth time in six games and hosts the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to six games with a 111-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Harden paired 44 points with eight rebounds to carry the shorthanded Rockets to victory. With Houston trailing 88-86 midway through the fourth quarter, Harden scored 12 consecutive points to lift the Rockets to a double-digit lead. Harden also tallied five assists and four steals.
In Los Angeles, LeBron James hit two free throws with 5.5 seconds to play, and Anthony Davis blocked Harrison Barnes’ driving shot at the buzzer with both hands in the Lakers’ 10th win in 11 games, 99-97 over former coach Luke Walton and the Sacramento Kings
‘‘These are the moments players live for and these are the moments you want at home. It was great to get them [the fans] a W.’’ Danilo Gallinari