OKC more than happy to assist
With about two minutes left in the first half, Thunder center Steven Adams squeezed a bounce pass through the traffic jam in the paint to find Dennis Schroder as he cut to the basket.
On the Thunder' s next possession, Danilo Gallinari bounced a pass behind his back to set up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for a dunk.
Those were two of the Thunder's 22 assists Friday. Non-point guards accounted for 10 of those assists.
Shooting guard Terrance Ferguson logged two early on, and he could have had a third if Adam's resulting shot hadn't bounced off the rim. A minute and a half into the game, Ferguson assisted Chris Paul on a layup. On the next possession, he hooked a one-handed pass to Adams, who missed.
In addition to assists, the Thunder saw offensive production all throughout its lineup. Four players scored 19 points or more.
Third-quarter deficit
The Thunder continued its trend of falling behind in the t hi r d quarter. After goi ng i nto halftime with a 54- 49
lead, OKC was outscored by Philadelphia 34-26 in the third.
The Thunder maintained its lead until the final three minutes of the period. Philadelphia overtook OKC in the midst of an 11-2 run.
Hometown kids shines
Former Edmond Santa Fe stand out Josh Richardson
scored 28 points for the 76ers, behind only Embiid. He picked up his fifth foul l ess than a minute into the fourth quarter but still closed the game.
Meanwhile, Tulsa native Ferguson made a season-high five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 19 points for the Thunder. His fifth 3-pointer of the night was the first basket scored in overtime.
Free throws improve
The Thunder hasn't been known as a good free-throw shooting team in years past. But on Friday, OKC shot 35-of-41 from the free-throw line. Chris Paul (12-of-12) and Danilo Gallinari (11-of-11) did not miss a single foul shot.
“We made out free throws coming down the stretch, and that was critical,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.
Diallo out
Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo ( l eft knee sprain) sat out Friday after suffering and injury Tuesday in the 111-85 loss at Indiana, according to Donovan. Dial l o made hi s first start of the season in that game, playing 22 minutes.
“We don't think it's going to be a thing that requires him sitting out for a long stretch,” Donovan said.
Ferguson, who did not make the trip to Indiana for personal reasons, returned to the starting lineup.
Tip-ins
Donovan won his second straight coaches challenge Friday. … Paul did not commit a turnover on his way to 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists.