Justin Edwards a bright spot as Hospital Sixers put up a fight in loss to mighty Thunder

With roughly half the Sixers’ roster out, Justin Edwards led the team with 25 points as the rookie had a strong outing in a hard-fought loss to the West-best Thunder.

How about the fight those guys showed?

Down eight players, the Sixers fell 118-102 to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Not only did Joel Embiid miss his fifth straight game with a foot sprain, Tyrese Maxey (hand) and Paul George (groin) were also part of the eight Sixers unable to suit up for the first leg of this back-to-back.

Justin Edwards once again made the most of his opportunity, leading the Sixers with 25 points off the bench, a new career high. He shot 9-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-9 from behind the three-point arc.

Jeff Dowtin Jr. went for 18 while Guerschon Yabusele finished with 17. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 32.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• The Sixers were able to hold their own for the opening minutes, even with the Thunder making their first seven shots of the night. Yabusele knocked down a three and had a nice dunk down the lane, and Ricky Council IV had an impressive and-1 after going the length of the court.

• That was short lived though as their 3-of-8 start from the field quickly became a 4-of-17 start. They turned it over six times in the opening quarter. The one that took the cake was a backcourt violation that happened on an ATO inbound.
• Despite ending the first trailing by 16, it wasn’t a terrible end to the quarter for the Sixers, making four of their last five shots from the field. Edwards hit a couple shots upon checking into the game. He just has known where to be when he gets in there, which is not an easy thing for a 21-year-old with as little experience as he has.

Second Quarter

• Some more good stuff from Edwards as he scored or assisted their first six points of the quarter. He got himself a couple of baskets off the dribble and started this give-and-go with Adem Bona. Not that they were really able to slow down the Thunder, but he had some solid defensive possessions as well. He gives effort on that end and doesn’t have any major physical deficiencies, and those two things go a long way to an NBA capable wing.

• The Sixers weren’t ready to completely roll over either. Yabu and Eric Gordon each hit a three as they worked the lead down to 10. Even without most of the key guys they were pesky on defense too. They had six steals in the first half on 12 Thunder turnovers.
• That didn’t last too long though as the Sixers were held to one field goal over the final 5:18 of the half. They also had plenty of problems taking care of the ball with 13 turnovers themselves. They still won the quarter though, going into the break only trailing by 15.

Third Quarter

• The booing going into halftime and the first timeout of the third felt a little unfair to the guys that were out there trying and were just overmatched. At the same time, fans don’t get the chance to interact with Daryl Morey or anyone else in the front office, so it’s one of their few chances to voice their displeasure at what this product has become. Outside of a couple minutes, it just wasn’t a fun night to be at the center for anyone.
• You’d have to go all the way back to November to find the last time Dowtin played well in real rotation minutes. So him having a good night is at least something. He shot 6-of-9 through three quarters.
• He and Edwards continued to hit shots and the Sixers kept scrapping. Council also ended the quarter well with a couple of drives. After Yabusele took it all the way to the cup, Dowtin stole the inbound and while he couldn’t get the three to fall, Yabu was right there to tip it back and make it a six-point game.

Fourth Quarter

• That momentum carried over, at least momentarily, when Edwards banked in a three at the start of the quarter. Gordon following with a three of his own was the loudest this building has gotten all month. His next attempt rimmed out though, and it didn’t take long for the Thunder to get their lead back into double digits.

• Given that he was cut by the Sixers, it’s a little surprising there hasn’t been an Isaiah Joe revenge game yet, though to be fair the two teams don’t play that often. Tonight was probably the closest as he had 10 points shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-6 from three.
• Not only are the Sixers right back in action tomorrow night, but it will be nationally televised. They’ll stay at home to take on the New York Knicks tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.