Sixers Bell Ringer: League-best Thunder roll Sixers in OKC

Quentin Grimes and Chuma Okeke show themselves well as Sixers drop another one to Thunder.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 16
Joel Embiid – 8
Quentin Grimes – 8
Jared McCain – 8
Paul George – 7
Kelly Oubre Jr – 5
Guerschon Yabusele – 4
Adem Bona – 2
Ricky Council IV – 2
Justin Edwards – 2
KJ Martin – 2
Jared Butler – 1
Jeff Dowtin Jr – 1
Andre Drummond – 1
No One – 1

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The Sixers traveled to Oklahoma City for a Wednesday night tilt with NBA leading Thunder. OKC was without MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, out for this contest for rest. The Thunder were also without starters Jalen Williams, Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Sixers would once again trot out a never before used starting lineup combination as they often have this year.

Operation Capture the Flagg was in full effect from the opening tip in this one as the Sixers went into a 10-0 hole immediately to start the game. The Sixers got nine points apiece from Quentin Grimes and Chuma Okeke but OKC took hold of a commanding 42-26 lead after one.

The Sixers, like they continue to do throughout the dog days of this season, fought back in the second quarter, cutting the Oklahoma City lead to as little as just six points on different occasions. An end of the quarter flurry capped off with back-to-back threes from Aaron Wiggins and Chet Holmgren allowed the Thunder to push their lead out to 70-56 at the halftime break.

The third quarter of this one made the fourth nothing more than a formality as the Thunder won the quarter by a score of 33-18 to take a 103-74 lead into the final period.

OKC ended the game winning by a score of 133-100. OKC got 27 points from Aaron Wiggins, 21 points and five three-pointers from former Sixer Isaiah Joe, and a career game from Jaylin Williams in which he turned in a triple-double pouring in 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Now for the Bell Ringer.

Quentin Grimes: 28 points, 5 assists, 10-of-21 shooting

Photo by William Purnell/Getty Images

Quentin Grimes once again turned in an efficient scoring performance. In what has been a season from hell, Grimes remains a major bright spot and reason of optimism for the Sixers. Grimes knocked down three three-pointers, knocked down 5-of-6 attempts from the line, and displayed an array of shot making and scoring prowess from all three levels. The consistency and ease in which Grimes continues to effortlessly dominant these games make it feel much more of a legitimate revelation as opposed to a typical NBA March Linsanity type run.

Chuma Okeke: 14 points, 15 rebounds, 5-of-6 from field, 4-of-5 from three

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Chuma Okeke, now in his second separate stint on a 10-day contract with the Sixers, put in the best performance of the year. The former Auburn Tigers star showed a lot of what made him a once promising prospect out of college. Okeke notched a double-double in the first half alone putting in 11 points and pulling down 11 boards as well. The jumbo sized forward knocked down four three-pointers and kept the Sixers within striking distance early in this game. Okeke, while void of the vertical pop and standstill burst he once had in college before a couple of devastating injuries, still has plenty of juice leaning on his all-around game and skillset to try and make his mark in the NBA in hopes of eventually sticking on a roster. Let’s hope Okeke can build on this performance and continue to put positive performances on tape.