OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. _ The 76ers don't need their top two centers.
OK, maybe that's the most inaccurate statement of the NBA season. But their 19-game series losing streak to the Oklahoma City Thunder came to an end on a night the Sixers were without Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic. Dominating mostly from start to finish, the Sixers prevailed, 108-104, Thursday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The victory improved the Sixers to 40-22 and marked their first win over the Thunder since Nov. 15, 2008 in Philadelphia. It was the teams' first meeting after the SuperSonics changed their name and relocated in Oklahoma City that year.
The Sixers had been 0-9 against the Thunder (38-23) in Oklahoma.
Tobias Harris finished with 32 points, his highest scoring total in his eight games as a Sixer.
Jimmy Butler added 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Ben Simmons had 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season. Meanwhile, Jonah Bolden finished with a career-high tying 14 points.
Russell Westbrook paced the Thunder with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Sixers had a commanding 16-point lead in the second quarter. But Westbrook knotted the score at 91 on a layup with 4 minutes, 5 seconds left. Harris responded with an 8-0 run to put the Sixers up, 101-93. Then Butler added a dunk to put the Sixers up 10 with 1:52 left.
But that didn't last long, as Thunder responded with a 7-0 run to get back into the game. Then Westbrook hit a pair of foul shots to close gap to two points (106-104) with 28 seconds left.
JJ Redick hit a pair of foul shots with 1.5 seconds left to give the Sixers their four-point margin of victory.
Bolden got the start over Amir Johnson at center for the Sixers. This marked his second consecutive start and fifth of the season. The team was without two-time All-Star Embiid and his backup Marjanovic.
Embiid missed his fourth game due to tendinitis in his left knee. On Wednesday, coach Brett Brown said he hopes Thursday's absence will be Embiid's final game being sidelined. However, the coach had a different take before Thursday's game. Asked about Embiid's reevaluation, Brown said "We're still learning more."
"In relation to will he play on Saturday against Golden State, we don't know that," Brown said, "and the fans should hear that. It's still completely up in the air."
The coach said they will learn more in the "next short period of time."
"There's nothing further to what we already said," Brown said. "It's just the maintenance of some tendinitis."
Meanwhile, this marked the first of at least two games Marjanovic will miss with a bone bruise and mild sprain in his right knee. He suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Monday's victory over the Pelicans in New Orleans. Marjanovic said before Thursday's game that he feels lucky that it wasn't something serious.
He thinks his work on and off the court and the way he treats his body paid off.
Marjanovic is already doing rehabilitation exercises.
"That's good, but I'm bored right now," he said. "I want to play. But it's a couple of days. Hopefully, everything will be all right when I come back and everything will be perfect."
With Embiid and Marjanovic sidelined, reserve center Justin Patton was called up from the Sixers' NBA G-League team, the Delaware Blue Coats, and dressed for Thursday's game.
For the most part, Bolden and Johnson split time guarding Thunder starting center Steven Adams. Meanwhile, Simmons and reserve power forward Mike Scott flip flopped as the team's small-ball centers when Oklahoma backup center Nerlens Noel, a former Sixer, was in the game.
However, Johnson checked-in when Noel subbed for Adams with 4 minutes, 50 seconds left in the first quarter. Then Scott guarded Adams at the start of the second quarter.
But Brown can't wait to welcome Embiid back on the court
"We are a different team with him," the coach said.
Oklahoma City was without All-Star swingman Paul George, who scored the game-winning four-point play in the teams' Jan. 19 matchup. The 28-year-old missed first game of the season with right shoulder soreness.
On Thursday, the Sixers made 10 of their first 12 shots to take a 24-13 lead. At that time, Harris had eight points, while Redick had five.
The Sixers led by 60-49 at intermission. They had 21 assists on 25 made baskets in the first half. The assists tied a season high for a first half.
