The Oklahoma City Thunder saw their Wednesday night matchup against the injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers as a golden opportunity to rest some of their key guys, the most prominent of which was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It’s a testament to the Thunder brass’ trust in the depth that they have that they believed they could win despite missing their best player. And this belief was vindicated once more, as the Thunder demolished the 76ers, 133-100, thanks to huge nights from Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, and Jaylin Williams.
Head coach Mark Daigneault couldn’t be more impressed with the effort that his team showed. But above all else, he lauded the Thunder for simply taking care of business and doing nothing but play for the victory — a true hallmark of a championship-contending team.
“Everyone who played that game played with no agenda,” Daigneault said, per Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire.
With that win, the Thunder clinched the Northwest Division crown with 13 games remaining in the season. Their hard work is paying off, and it’s a testament to how well the training staff is preparing their players for action that players who typically don’t play that big of a role are always ready to step up and lift OKC to victory.
It’s hard to pinpoint the primary reason for why and how the Thunder dominated proceedings on Wednesday night. But perhaps, above everything else, it’s the selflessness that everyone plays with and how much everyone is willing to sacrifice personal gain for the betterment of the team that takes this Thunder team from merely an extremely talented one to perhaps the favorite to win it all come June.
Thunder take care of business in 76ers demolition
This wasn’t the first time this season that the Thunder decided to rest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, among others, in a game against lottery-bound opponents. They also did this earlier this month in a 107-89 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, and the result was nearly identical — with Jaylin Williams stuffing the stat sheet and Aaron Wiggins filling up the scoring column.
Williams’ all-around game always comes out whenever he has the opportunity to spread his wings. He tallied a monster stat line of 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists, functioning as the primary hub of the OKC offense while they were without their lead guards, and Aaron Wiggins scored a team-high 26 to lead the way. Five other players scored in double figures, and the Thunder once again flex their developmental excellence with this latest victory.
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