The Oklahoma City Thunder will play their first scrimmage game in the Orlando bubble against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.
Here is how to watch and stream the game:
Opponent: Philadelphia 76ers
Date and time: July 26, 11 a.m.
How to watch: Thunder Mobile App or OKCThunder.com
Matchups between the two this season
The Thunder and Sixers are 1-1 against each other this season.
In the first matchup, back in November, Philadelphia was floundering after a 5-0 start. The 76ers had been the final undefeated team in the league, but since, they had lost four of six.
It took overtime and a combined 55 points from Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari, but the Thunder sent the 76ers to a 7-5 record on the year.
The second time these teams played was in early January. Steven Adams posted 24 points and 15 rebounds to go with Dennis Schroder’s 21 points off the bench, but it wasn’t enough.
76ers point guard Ben Simmons had a near-triple-double with 17 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists as Philly built a big second-quarter lead and held on to win.
76ers’ season
The Sixers looked like a serious Finals threat after signing Al Horford and trading for Josh Richardson, but they were inconsistent this season.
Their home/away record is jarring and, to be frank, confounding: At home, Philadelphia is 29-2, the best in the entire NBA. On the road, the team is 10-24, which is half a game worse than the New York Knicks’ road record.
Let’s see how their neutral record turns out in the bubble.
Philadelphia, in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 39-26 record, uses its size to beat up on opponents.
Wing Josh Richardson may be the shortest starter, depending on the rotation, and he’s listed at 6-foot-5. Six-foot-10 Simmons is a likely All-NBA First Team Defense guard. Lineups with Horford and Joel Embiid don’t space the court well, but they’re 6-foot-9 and 7-foot, respectively.
With two potential All-NBA players in Simmons and Embiid who are elite defenders, dynamic wings in Richardson and Tobias Harris, and improving bench depth with guys like Alec Burks, Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton and Glenn Robinson, the 76ers have the star power and the depth to be formidable.
It’s just about meshing the styles of players that tend to clash on the court.
The Thunder will see how they deal with a team that comes into the bubble with Finals hopes.
