Sixers explain slowing down Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in win

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The Philadelphia 76ers were able to buckle down and walk away with a 127-123 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. The win ended a quick two-game losing skid and it allowed the Sixers to get back on track a bit. A big key to the win was slowing down Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the second half. The Thunder star had 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting in the first half, but Philadelphia buckled down in the second half. It began in the third quarter when they held SGA to just two points on 1-for-7 shooting. The Sixers threw a lot of length at him led by Nic Batum, Tobias Harris, and Robert Covington. The trio did a terrific job in leading that charge and it made a difference for Philadelphia. Overall, SGA shot just 3-for-11 after halftime for 12 points. The Sixers slowing him down was a big reason for the victory. “I just thought we did a better job of kind of settling into seeing some of the things they were running,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters. “We did it, again, I thought we got a little bit better in front of him here and there, and then I was hoping he wasn’t gonna make every shot he took tonight (Saturday) like he did in the first half and he had a few bounce out which was key.” Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players in the league. The fact that the Sixers were able to find a way to corral him a bit was impressive and it was a big reason why Philadelphia was able to get the win. This the type of defensive performance they can build off of. Nick Nurse not a fan of how Sixers closed game in win over ThunderPlayer grades: Joel Embiid leads Sixers over Thunder on the roadWhere do Sixers stand in in-season tournament after Heat loss to Knicks?
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Source: https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/2023/11 ... er-in-win/