Sixers player grades: Seth Curry leads the way in road win over Thunder

The shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers hit the road on Sunday to begin a quick two-game road trip beginning with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Sixers were looking to bounce back from a loss in the home opener on Friday and they used a big opening quarter to get the job done.

Seth Curry was on fire to start as he had 23 points while knocking down six triples in the opening quarter to help the Sixers knock off the Thunder 115-103 on the road. Curry was keyed by Oklahoma City the rest of the way as he finished with 28 after the hot start, but it was enough for Philadelphia to pick up the win.

Joel Embiid had 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and three blocks as he continues to deal with the right knee soreness, Tobias Harris had 14 points with nine rebounds and five assists, Tyrese Maxey added 14 points, and Danny Green added 11 and seven boards. Georges Niang had 12 points and three assists with Furkan Korkmaz adding nine and three assists off the bench to chip in.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Tyrese Maxey: B

The second-year guard continued his transition as the team’s point guard and he was solid on the defensive end in this one, but on offense, he is still looking to strike that balance there. He is still looking for his shot much more often than making plays for others and that is something that will continue to be a work in progress. That is to be expected, however, as he is obviously not a true point guard and he did make some big shots in the third quarter. He has a maniacal work ethic though so odds are he will figure it out.

Seth Curry: A

Goodness, gracious. The way Curry can shoot the ball with such efficiency is so impressive. Taking advantage of the young and inexperienced Thunder, he found open spots and he made Oklahoma City play. The veteran out of Duke drilled six triples on his way to scoring 23 points in the first quarter which set the tone a bit for Philadelphia. After that, Oklahoma City focused a lot on him which opened up other players to be able to make an impact. He did drill a dagger 3-pointer late that sealed the win for Philadelphia.

Danny Green: B+

Eventually, Green will get going and have his hot streak. He knocked down a couple of triples in the second quarter, including a tough one over the long arms of rookie Josh Giddey, but he relies so much on ball movement to get his looks. He was excellent on the glass to help Philadelphia in that respect. The Sixers will get him going as soon as he gets his legs under him and the ball continues to move.

Tobias Harris: B-

Being defended mostly by Giddey, Harris went to work to start, but then fizzled a bit. There were a few instances where Philadelphia set him up in the post so he can take advantage of his size and strength and he did just that on those possessions. There was not a lot that Giddey could do in that situation as he continues with his first NBA season. Harris could have been more efficient on the night, but he rebounded well and was a good distributor. He still did enough to help Philadelphia come away with a win.

Joel Embiid: B+

Still dealing with right knee soreness, this could have been a game to rest the big fella. However, Embiid stated after Friday’s loss that he wants to be out there with the team and be a leader so this is not too surprising in that respect. He was looking like a point center out there as he was leading the break, he was finding teammates for open looks, and he was dominant on the defensive end. There was not a lot the Thunder could do with him.

Furkan Korkmaz: B

The point Furk experiment continues to bring good things to the bench unit. There is so much that he can bring to the team right now other than just his 3-point shooting which was always the challenge for him. As long as he can continue to run the offense a bit when his 3-ball isn’t falling, he will continue to earn the confidence of coach Doc Rivers.

Georges Niang: B+

Pressed into a tough situation due to the injury to Andre Drummond, Niang had troubles on the defensive end playing the 5. Oklahoma City saw him back there instead of Embiid and they immediately attacked the paint as they got easy buckets right away. Offensively, Niang did enough as he found his shot and he used his quickness to get to the basket. He also made a few nice passes on that end as well.

Matisse Thybulle: B+

The defensive activity continues to be there for Thybulle. He bothered the hell out of the Thunder whenever he was in the game. He was matched up with Giddey often and he made life tough on him all game. He did have a tough time with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is a tough guard, but Thybulle did have a few good moments against him. The way he got his hands in the lane for steals and deflections is a big help for them. He also hit a big stepback triple in the fourth quarter which is good to see from him.

Isaiah Joe: D

Joe continues to have his struggles to begin the regular season after a terrific preseason showing. A lot of it is just him continuing to realize that he does have to find a way to get his own open looks out on the floor. Eventually, he will be able to figure it out, but for now, it’s tough for him.

Paul Reed: C+

The energetic big men earned some time with the Drummond injury and he brought his activity to the floor in this one. There were a few defensive miscues in the first half, but he made a big block on Darius Bazley and he also had a big tip-in as well.

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