Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Noel stands ground in Sixers’ loss
PHILADELPHIA >> After watching samples of his play in the summer leagues, after seeing him run up and down the floor in the preseason, there were many prognosticators who thought Nerlens Noel, and not Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, was going to be the best rookie in the NBA this season.
Frankly, the regular season hasn’t been as much of a splash for the big man with the f lat top and bony limbs. There were games where he couldn’t get a rebound, games where he would show flashes, but vanish. There were bumps and nicks that had him in street clothes for a couple of games.
Friday night the 76ers couldn’t parlay their first win of the season into a winning streak. The Oklahoma City Thunder (6-13), desperate to play catch-up after a brutal, injury-plagued opening month, never trailed and outlasted the Sixers, 103-91, at the Wells Fargo Center.
However, when there was a long stretch in the second half in which the Sixers outplayed OKC, the catalyst was Noel. And he really needed a half like that.
“Nerlens had a great second half where he went hard after block shots,” Brett Brown said. “There was a physical side to the group tonight that I was proud of. There was no back-down.”
Surprisingly, at the center of that physical side was Noel. The Thunder tried to exploit Noel’s thin frame by sending veteran load Kendrick Perkins on the floor for 22 minutes. Perkins no longer has basketball skills, but he has a lot of weight.
That move didn’t work for OKC coach Scott Brooks, and it nearly burned him. Noel had eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and one poster-quality blocked shot of Kevin Durant in the second half. And the point where Noel really seemed to respond best came after Perkins was charged with a flagrant foul against him.
“I love a challenge,” Noel said. “I think that’s actually was something that got me going. I think they thought they could come push me around, and it wasn’t
like that. “No one is going to come in here and push us around. This is Philadelphia. It’s gritty and hard, and we are going to play hard. It doesn’t matter who you are. We’re going to hold our own.”
The Thunder have been a wreck in the first quarter of the NBA season. They were without their dual superstars, Russell Westbrook and Durant, for the first 14 games and were horrendous. Both are back on the court, but in Durant’s first game earlier this week, OKC lost to New Orleans even though Durant had 27 points in 30 minutes.
Westbrook was the one who doomed the Sixers. He had 27 points and seven assists, which was enough to offset his six turnovers. To his credit, Michael Carter-- Williams didn’t fold in what is a brutal matchup for any point guard, particularly one where his two backups are sidelined by injuries. MCW had 16 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds in 42 tough minutes that included some jawing with Westbrook.
“I think at times that side of it got the better of (Carter-Williams),” Brown said of the Westbrook chatter. “But I like that the kid goes right back at him. It’s not in an obnoxious way, but in a competitive way.”
As for Durant, he looked terrible against the Sixers. He missed the first 17 games with a foot injury, and he showed little of the bounce and quickness that helped him earn his first Most Valuable Player award last season. He had 11 points and six rebounds and shot 3-for-11 from the f loor, with one of those misses coming on a huge blocked shot by Noel that showed how much spring the rookie has in his legs and how little Durant is showing at the moment.
It was one Noel wouldn’t mind having in picture form to hang on the wall.
“Yeah, why not,” he said. “I’d like that.”
That block came midway through the fourth quarter, as the Sixers tried to work their way back into the game. The Thunder led by as many as 20 early in the third quarter and were up 86-71 early in the fourth when the Sixers started to edge closer. Luc Mbah a Moute made a layup and was fouled with 3:13 remaining to cut OKC’s lead to seven, but he would miss the free throw to complete the 3-point play.
After the Thunder committed a turnover on their next possession, the Sixers returned the favor, and Durant ran out in transition for a layup that put any upset thoughts to rest.