The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Oct. 26, Wednesday as both teams open their respective 2016-2017 NBA Season campaigns.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Oklahoma City almost made the NBA Finals last season before surrendering their 3-1 Western Conference Finals series lead to the Golden State Warriors. They are not expected to repeat that performance now that Kevin Durant has joined the Warriors.
The Thunder's ability to adjust to Durant's absence will be the key to their season. It is highly likely, though, that they can do it with Russell Westbrook leading the charge. Westbrook is now the sole superstar of head coach Billy Donovan's team and he is more than capable to play that role.
Basketball Insiders noted that it "could be significantly worse" for the Thunder if the team were not able to persuade Westbrook to delay his free-agency. OKC is still considered a playoff team while Westbrook is still an MVP candidate.
Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams are the next big-names in Donovan's roster while Andre Roberson is projected to continue to improve.
Meanwhile, the Sixers had a lot of hope in the offseason when Joel Embiid was finally cleared to play. However, successive injuries to their key players have made the team much weaker in this match against the Thunder.
This year's no. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons is out while rehabilitating from a Jones' fracture surgery while Nerlens Noel is set to have knee surgery, which could sideline him for a significant amount of time this season.
Jahlil Okafor is questionable for the game as he has also just returned from a knee operation while starting point guard Jerryd Bayless is out with a wrist injury.
Embiid is expected to start at center for the undermanned Sixers and he will have Dario Saric with him at the power forward spot, via Fansided. Robert Covington is likely to start at number three with Gerald Henderson and TJ McConnell at the backcourt for head coach Brett Brown.
Prediction
A clear victory for the Thunder as Westbrook is eager to prove that he does not need Durant to win. An injury-plagued Sixers lineup is just the perfect target for the two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP.