PHILADELPHIA — One heck of a game took place in Philadelphia Thursday night.
After a disappointing second-half collapse against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the Sixers welcomed in another Western Conference opponent as Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets came to town.
The Sixers, in desperate need to improve their sub-optimal home record, made an adjustment to the starting lineup, swapping Dominick Barlow for Kelly Oubre, and the decision paid off, helping lead to the team's eventual 128-122 win in overtime.
Oubre responded to the start by putting on perhaps the best performance on the team, finishing with 26 points while playing with a relentless motor throughout the game.
Joel Embiid put up an impressive triple-double of 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, looking very much like the Embiid Philly fans have missed. A cold stretch in the early fourth quarter befell him, but Embiid rallied and played a crucial role in the team's eventual win.
Despite the best efforts of Oubre, Embiid, and also Dominick Barlow—who responded to his benching well with seven points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals—Philadelphia was unable to withstand the barrage of three-point shots that came from Houston.
The Rockets knocked down 17 of their 36 shots from deep, many of them off a frustrating number of offensive rebounds.
A 17-6 Rockets run in the fourth made it seem that the game was out of hand, that is, until the Sixers responded with their own 19-10 run to end the quarter.
Truthfully, it should have been a 21-10 run as Tyrese Maxey drove to the bucket in the closing seconds and had his shot blocked off glass, a clear goaltending, and yet the whistles remained silent as the ball bounced between both teams until an inadvertent whistle led to the Sixers imbounding the ball with 0.1 seconds on the clock, leading to overtime.
Come the overtime period, as Joel Embiid played more minutes (46) than he has all season. The entire lineup played 40-plus minutes, minus Paul George, who struggled with early foul trouble.
Despite all of this, the Sixers found renewed energy and won the extra period 13-7, securing the win.
Philadelphia returns to the hardwood Saturday night as they host the New York Knicks for the first time this season. This matchup will wrap up their frustrating Sixers' home stand.
After tonight's win, the Sixers are 12-12 at home, breaking even once again at home, until this weekend. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.
